Anna
by Rainbowmnms
Summary: Anna is an antisocial, regular girl. Somehow Anna is catapulted from California into a new world and dropped into a life that doesn't seem to be her own. If being called 'Princess Anna' isn't strange enough, she discovers that people in this new world, Fiore, can use magic! She's locked up in this new life, sentenced to marriage. Can her handsome kidnapper free her? Natsu x OC
1. Princess Anna

_~Chapter One~_

Princess Anna

"Anna!" shouted my mom from downstairs. Her voice was muffled, but it still managed to reach my ears through my closed door. Yeah, I'd shut myself up in my room again. Maybe I should call it my sanctuary?

"Anna!" my mother yelled again, evident annoyance in her voice, "Can you hear me up there?" I'd adopted the attic as my own, clearing it out and using it as my hiding place from the world. It was a bit chillier than the rest of the house, but that wasn't anything a sweater and warm socks couldn't fix. Besides, I didn't mind the cold.

"I can hear you!" I shouted and shut my eyes. I could feel a headache coming on. Unfortunately for me, I got those a lot.

"Come downstairs!" my mom yelled up the stairs that led to the attic, "Now!" I could hear the anger in her voice even though she tried to hide it. She wasn't a particularly…irritable person. When she was angry, it was usually for a good reason. I forced myself upright and tapped the play button on my iPod, shoving it in my back pocket. I slid my headphones over my head. As I left my room I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Pale skin, overly sized eyes, and black hair forced me to look away. Maybe if I had light hair I wouldn't look so…strange. I longed to look normal.

My mom always told me that I was beautiful, but wasn't that just a parent's job? I couldn't trust her word. I didn't have any friends who would back me up, tell me that I wasn't as ugly as I saw myself. I didn't like people at all, actually. I pulled my annoying hair into a messy bun and stabbed a pencil through it to pin it in place. I cranked the volume on my music and, sock-footed, eased down the creaky stairs. Each board protested against my steps until I quietly landed in the hallway.

I sighed and made my way to the kitchen. I knew that was where my mom probably was. Whenever she was worried or stressed out about anything, she'd start to cook fervently. To be honest, I found it a bit strange. Who was I to judge, though? I was pretty much the embodiment, no, the _epitome_ of strange.

When I stepped into the room my mom looked up from—I guessed correctly—her cooking. I stared at her blankly. She tilted her head to the side, a habit that I recognized to mean that she was anxious. She shifted to her other foot. She wasn't a particularly tall woman. She had an unusual amount of wrinkles on her face, considering her age; I would never say that to her, though. She would probably cry.

Wrinkles were to be expected, though. She'd had it rough ever since my dad had died…we both had. She brushed her greyish hair behind her ear and motioned for me to remove my headphones. I didn't argue. I never argued with my mom. To me, she was a delicate creature. Like glass. If you dropped her, hurt her in any way, she would shatter. Not into large pieces, either. She would break into tiny pieces, so that, no matter how much glue you used, you wouldn't be able to piece her back together. I didn't want that…so I didn't argue.

"Your teacher told me…that you got sent to the principle's today," my mom said nervously. She clasped her hands together as I flicked my annoying hair out of my vision.

"I did," I said calmly. Lying wasn't really my thing.

"Wh-Why?" my mom asked, flustered.

I closed my eyes for a moment and then looked at her directly, "It was stupid."

She waited. I sat down at the counter. "There's a girl called Johanna in my class. She accused me of being in love with her boyfriend, Skylar. I'm not."

"You didn't…" my mom started.

"No, I didn't." She breathed a sigh of relief, tension escaping her shoulders. "But she didn't back down. She shoved me into a locker. A teacher saw. I was sent to the principle's. She wasn't."

"I trust you," she said and then turned away, "You may go."

"I have to get to work. I'll be back late. Don't wait up." With that I fled the house. Something about that place brought me down. I knew my mother loved me, but it had never been the same after the accident. I paused in the doorway. A faded picture hung on the wall. It was me, when I as younger. I was smiling wide, sitting with none other than my beloved father. He looked so happy, like being with me was the best thing in the world. I clearly reciprocated those feelings. I'd been younger, but I still remember him. His warmth. The way he would laugh at every little thing I did. How he'd rock me to sleep when I had nightmares.

That was also something that happened a lot. I mulled over my past as I mounted my bicycle. I suppose it was also my present, though. I got nightmares quite a lot. They were horrible, too. I'd always wake, fear causing tremors down my spine and cold sweat dripping down my forehead. Eventually, I'd snap back to reality, though. It was never real…

I'd always remember that the darkness wasn't an actuality; it was a figment of my imagination. That man wasn't always watching me with those cold, ever-vigilant eyes. The monster didn't really exist. I was safe where I was. What really terrified me, though—never mind the monster—was when my father showed up in my dreams. Those were the worst.

* * *

"Anna! Looking glum as always!" said a light voice. Strong arms wrapped around me and swung me around, "It's been too long!"

"By 'too long' do you mean since we got out of school a few hours ago?" I questioned.

Skylar looked down at me as if I'd slapped him. His greyish eyes were partially hidden behind his long, bleach-blond hair. His iridescent ear piercing shone under the light. "That's exactly what I meant," he said indignantly.

I scoffed and shrugged his arms off of me. I reached up and replaced the pencil through my hair for an actual tie. "Whatever," I mumbled.

"I think part of your charm is how depressing you are all the time," he said, propping himself up against the floury counter.

I grinned slyly at him, hiding one of my eyes behind my black hair, "I think part of your charm is…wait, you don't have any charm."

He reeled backwards and slammed his head against the 'any two toppings, 50% off' sign. He rubbed his head, "That hurts."

"Slamming appendages against any solid surface does tend to sting a bit," I said, turning and plucking an order from the rack. I skimmed it over and got started, readying dough as I had a million times before.

"I wasn't talking about my head," he said, "I meant my heart. Sometimes you can be cruel."

"You should say stuff like that," I said coolly, "People will misunderstand." I cast a quick glance his way so as to gauge his reaction. He looked slightly surprised.

"Who'd misunderstand?" he asked.

I sighed, "Your girlfriend, for one."

He groaned, "Jo doesn't really care about me. I'm a trophy to her. You know that." I couldn't blame her. Skylar was pretty…beautiful. I know guys don't like being called that, but it's the best word to describe him. He had long, blondish eyelashes that brushed his cheeks when he blinked. He had high cheekbones and a strong jawline. His wavy hair was platinum blonde, but when the sun hit it, you could see darker gold hidden throughout. He was tall and strong, also. I had to hand it to Johanna, she knew how to pick a trophy…not that I ever saw him that way.

"Well, she cared enough about her trophy to slam me into some lockers and get me sent to the principle's," I said quietly, flipping the already formed dough up in the air expertly.

Skylar launched himself off the table and grabbed my wrist. The dough smacked against the counter, sending a cloud of flower into the air. I coughed a bit and turned to look at Skylar. He looked angry. "What did she do?" he demanded.

I stared at him and tried to turn away. He wouldn't let me. "Ease off. It was nothing," I mumbled.

"No! If she did something to you, you shouldn't just stand by and do nothing about it. Hell, _I _shouldn't just stand by and do nothing about it!" he practically shouted. Our boss, Jed, peeked his head out of his office.

"Are you two fooling around again?" he asked. I shook my head and Skylar called back. "No, Sir. Sorry, Sir."

He backed of, but didn't stop staring at me. I set to work with the pizza again. I could feel his silver eyes on me. "An," he said quietly, "Tell me." I could hear the pleading in his voice and sighed.

"I already did. She shoved me into some lockers. That's all."

"Why?"

I hesitated, "She said that I liked you, except there were some less than admirable words thrown in there along the way." There was crippling silence…eventually I looked up, (mostly out of curiosity…what had shut him up?)

He wasn't looked at me. Actually, he was facing the other direction. When he next spoke, his voice was a bit hoarse, "And…"

"And, that's all," I said, returning to my work. I didn't want to be caught staring at his strong back or the way his floury t-shirt was stretched taught over his muscles.

He cleared his throat, "I'm off duty. I'll see you at school. Tell me if Johanna does anything like that again." With that he left the room. I was thankful for the solitude and silence, but was painfully aware of how empty the room felt. It was strange how torn I was between wanted him to return and wishing he wouldn't. My shift ended quicker than I wished it had; the boss practically kicked me out.

I sighed and pulled the tie out of my hair, letting it fall down of my shoulders. I used to keep it short, but going to the hairdresser got to be such a pain that I just decided to pull it up. The effect was generally the same: I didn't have to look at it either way. I hated my hair…a lot. It reminded me of my dad. I didn't want that.

"Anna," said a voice behind me. I leapt into the air and yelped like a little girl. I then managed to trip on my own ankle and tumble to the ground. I scraped my knee and winced. A soft chuckle accompanies the pain that ensued. I clutched my knee and picked little pieces of gravel out of the wound.

"That's just like you. You ok?" he said.

"What are you doing back here? I thought you left," I jibed. I wasn't about to dignify his question with any remote form of response.

Skylar fiddled with a pebble in the driveway, "I have something I have to tell you." I got to my feet and brushed off the dirt on my legs. I straightened myself.

"Ok, shoot," I said. I reached to my neck and then had a minor heart attack. "Shit," I cursed under my breath before Skylar could say anything. I fell back to the ground and frantically searched the floor.

"What are you doing?" he asked, kneeling beside me.

"My necklace broke," I said, frustrated.

"I'll help you look," he said and then proceeded to make good of his statement. "Anyway, what I wanted to tell you…"

"Right, you said there was something. And?"

"I…broke up with Johanna," he said almost silently. I froze.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked.

"I guess you could say that something opened my eyes…a realization of sorts," he said as his hand hovered over the pebbles. A glint of bright green caught my eye and he looked up, "This it?"

I couldn't help but grin out of relief and nod my head. I took the stone from him, though the chain was gone. It didn't matter. It'd been cheap anyways. "Thanks," I said as I closed my fingers around the emerald. I didn't know if it was real. Even if it was I wasn't about to sell it.

"That's important to you, huh?" Skylar asked. I looked up and realized he'd been staring at me. I wondered for how long.

"My dad gave it to me," I said almost immediately. My willingness to share the information with him surprised me. I looked at him shyly, but he just nodded in understanding. I wasn't sure if he really did understand, though. Did he know about my dad?

"As I was saying," he said, standing up to his full height. I stood a few seconds after him. I waited for him to continue, but he didn't. He stared at me.

"What?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. I was grateful for the black hoodie I'd been wearing. I was sufficiently covered. Otherwise, I might've thought that he'd been staring at _me_. That was stupid, though. Who would actually look at me? I wondered if there was actually a person out there who could care about me.

"Your…pocket. Is your phone on?" he asked. I raised a brow and looked down. My pocket was, indeed, glowing. I reached in a pulled out the most unlikely source of the light…and yet…

The stone—yes, the very same one Skylar had just recovered from the ground for me—was _glowing_. A brilliant green color emanated from the stone. "Uh," I said stupidly.

"Does it…do that often?" he asked. I couldn't stop staring.

"No," I breathed.

* * *

I felt warmth. A gentle breeze caressed my face, brushing my long hair over my nose. It tickled and I sneezed. I opened my eyes and set up. For some reason, I felt light. There wasn't anything weighing down on me. I didn't feel the constant headache I usually did.

"Princess Annabeth? You're awake," said a voice. I turned to my left and saw a man standing beside me. I ran my fingers over the tall grass where I lay and looked up at the cherry tree he was leaning against.

"Sorry…what?" I asked. I could have sworn he just called me a princess. I rubbed my eye.

"I was just thinking that we should be returning," he said, offering me his hand. I stared at it.

"Returning?" I asked.

"To the castle, of course," he said as if it were obvious. Castle? Princess? How did this guy know my name? I looked down and realized I was wearing an extravagant dress. I held my breath.

"Princess, are you alright? Perhaps the sleep hasn't completely left you," he said, kneeling beside me. He had…white hair. It just occurred to me that having white hair was strange. No, he wasn't old. He looked older than me, but definitely not old enough to have white hair.

"I'm…confused," I mumbled. I wanted to ask who he was, but figured that would be rude. I reached to my neck for comfort and breathed a sigh of relief when I realized my jewel still hung on its chain at my collarbone. The man helped me to my feet.

"I'll escort you back, Princess. You have a big day tomorrow; I don't blame you for being nervous," he said softly. Somehow his words comforted me, though I wasn't sure why.

"But I'm not nervous," I said softly, smoothing my dress down.

The man chuckled, "Of course you're not. You're the strongest person I know." He plucked a cherry petal from my head and tossed it aside, "I'm proud of you."

I stared at him, "Thank you." I wasn't really sure what to say. Expressing my thanks seemed like the best way to go. I couldn't help but wish that I had my headphones with me.

We walked through streets. When I was very young, I remember going to see old castle towns during a summer vacation. That's what this place reminded me of. Merchants lined the streets and beautiful flowers hung everywhere. Everyone seemed satisfied, going about his or her own business. When I walked past, though, people stared at me in wonder. A young man locked eyes with me and looked away immediately, a slight pinkish tint to his cheeks. That only helped to confuse me further.

"The Princess has returned," shouted the man beside me. He took my hand and escorted me up a flight of stairs. So _this _was what a castle looked like on the inside. I had to admit, it was beautiful. "You should get some sleep. I'll have a maid bring by some food in case you find your appetite later on in the evening," he said. He suddenly looked upset. He placed one hand on my head gently and looked down at me, "Don't worry, alright? Everything will be ok. It's all for the best."

I nodded, suddenly just wanting to be alone. He smiled solemnly and shut the door behind him. I turned and lay down on enormous, decorative bed beside me. The room was too big, also; it was drafty. I curled up into a tight ball, something I tended to do when I felt alone. And god, did I feel alone now. Confusion ran rampant in my mind. I was lost. I tried to remember what had happened.

I stood up and began pacing the room, clutching my necklace. That last thing I could remember was Skylar. He was looking at me like he desperately wanted to tell me something. Then…my necklace. I stared at it. Had it really glowed like that? Then, I'd woken up here. A stranger had called me Princess and brought me to a castle. I was in too much shock to even protest. Apparently, something was happening tomorrow. I didn't care. This was a dream, wasn't it? That was the only viable explanation. I stopped in the middle of the room, determined to believe that, and glanced to my left.

I stumbled backwards. There was a mirror on the other side of the wall. I froze, staring at my reflection. I took a few nervous steps forward, and surely enough the reflection followed my motions. I waved my hand to make sure it was really me in the mirror. The girl there waved her hand also. I gasped and touched the shiny surface. I was…not me. Long, flowing, dark hair fell down to my lower back. It curled delicately, shimmering in the light. My hair almost seemed to change color at different angles, almost like a raven's feather. Dark, mysterious eyes stared back at me. Long lashes nearly touched my perfectly trimmed eyebrows. A dainty nose and brilliant, full, red lips topped off my look. I was…stunning. Not to mention my full chest, dollish pail skin, and delicate figure. I blushed just looking at myself.

A knock on the door jarred me out of my stupor. "Annabeth, may I enter?"

I panicked for a moment and then calmed down, "You may." A man peeked out from behind the door. He had kindly eyes and a full, greying beard. He had wrinkles, but they were the sorts that one gets from smiling their whole life. I liked that. "How are you?" He smiled at me hopefully.

I couldn't help but return the smile as I strode to the balcony. I stepped outside and the man followed me. "I'm well," I replied, "Thank you."

The man suddenly embraced me and I stiffened, "I'm sorry that this had to happen. I'm sorry." When he pulled away, he had tears in his eyes. He placed a strong hand on my cheek.

"I'm really alright," I said quietly. Everyone's worry for me was starting to unnerve me. Was something really bad actually happening to me?

The man seemed to suddenly gain his composure, "I have to leave you. Sleep well, daughter." That caught me off guard. Daughter? I shrugged it off. This was a dream. I could be anyone's daughter so long as my subconscious desired it.

"I will." After a moment I added, "Father." It was certainly strange.

After he left, I rummaged through my drawers looking for something more comfortable. I eventually found a blue summer dress. It wasn't exactly my taste, but what can you do when you're in a dream world and have no other choice? I just slipped it on after spending quite a while attempted to remove the dress I was wearing. I searched for some reasonable shoes, but found none. I decided I would just go barefoot.

I peaked my head out of my room, making sure there were no guards or ladies in waiting anywhere in sight. Castles had those, didn't they? I tiptoed silently through the endless corridors and hallways. I relished at the softness of my hair as it caressed my bare skin.

"Miss, where are you off to?" asked a voice. I whirled around and stared. It was…a cat?

"I, eh…"

"You really shouldn't be here. Who are you?" the blue cat asked. Blue? I didn't care if this was a cat, shouldn't he know his own princess? This could work in my favor, though.

I knelt beside him, "What's your name?"

He hesitated, which I found curious, "My name is…Harold."

I giggled a bit and he blushed. Can cats blush? "Well, Harold, I need your help. You look like you know your way around this place. Could you point me to the door? I tend to get lost easily, and I would really _love _it if you could show me the way out."

He stared at me for a moment before he pointed, "That way."

I smiled, "Thank you."

"Just go straight," he said before turning away and running off down the hallway.

I straightened, "I've never met a blue, talking cat who didn't know his own name before." I chuckled to myself at the bizarreness of the statement. I turned and silently ran down the hallway that the cat had pointed to. Soon enough, I found that exit. Unfortunately, it was guarded. This was interesting. I mulled over ways to distract the guards so as to grant myself time to run by them and out into the awaiting freedom I so desired. I didn't know why, but this place was intimidating. I didn't want to stay in this castle any longer.

"So this is why you weren't nervous," said a voice. I froze and turned slowly. The guy with white hair stood over me, and he looked very, very cross.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" I said, more of a question than I statement. I knew he wouldn't buy it.

"Silas, is everything alright?" one of the guards called.

The man looked up and smiled, "It's nothing. Keep up the good work." He grabbed my arm gently and led me away from the guards, out of sight and hearing range.

"You were trying to escape, weren't you?" he hissed.

For some reason, tears sprung to my eyes, "I can't stand it here. I don't want to stay. I need fresh air. This place is suffocating me."

"You've never acted like this before," he said softly, "Why now?" He brushed some tears from my cheek and I didn't protest. His touch was welcome. I needed some comfort. I didn't remember being such a softy before all of this, though.

"Is it because you're to be married tomorrow?" Silas asked. I froze and looked up at him. Married. So that's why everyone had been looking at me with such pity.

"I know you're averse to it, but he's a good young man," Silas said, attempting to comfort me. It didn't work. "Who knows, maybe you'll find love with him."

"I don't want this!" I practically shouted.

"Don't raise your voice like that," Silas scolded. I quieted down and slumped against the wall, wrapping my arms tightly around myself.

"Anna," Silas said, "I've known you since you were born. I know _you_. As soon as I found out that you were to be married I was shocked. I knew you wouldn't like it. Being forced like that."

I looked up at him hopefully. It sort of scared me that this person knew me my whole life, whatever life I was living at the moment, and I'd only just met him earlier today. He put his hands on either one of my shoulders, "But may I remind you that you're a princess. It's your responsibility to do this. Even if you don't like it, you'll rule this country someday. Fiore needs you to be strong." I wasn't a princess. I didn't care about this place called Fiore. I didn't want any of this. I wanted to return to my old life. I wanted the comfort of making pizzas every day to earn what little money I managed to scrounge up. I wanted a familiar face in all of this.

"Return to your room," he said quietly, "Please." I shuffled away. Arguing wasn't something I had the energy for any longer. I was drained. As soon as my head hit that foreign, uncomfortable pillow on that overly sized bed in that drafty room, my exhaustion won out.

* * *

**Don't forget to tell me what you thought! Thanks, guys! I love you so. T^T *sobs out of love***


	2. Escapee Anna

_~Chapter Two~_

Escapee Anna

"Miss, it's time for you to get up," said a timid woman's voice. I didn't open my eyes. "Miss, we have to get you ready for today's events," she said. I eased myself upright and straightened myself out. I opened my eyes.

"Did you sleep well, Princess?" asked the woman beside my bed. She was clearly a maid. An actual maid. Sitting beside me. As far as I could tell, maids only existed in Japan, not that I was highly knowledgeable about the existence of maids around the world.

"Yes, thank you," I said quietly, still a bit sleepy. That wasn't the truth. I'd had a nightmare again. The same one as usual. The dark man watching me. The monster. My father.

"We have to get you into your dress. It seems you've overslept a bit," she said, standing. I didn't argue as my maid guided me through the process. After last night, I knew there was no escaping it. Besides, it was all just a dream, right? It wasn't like I was _actually _getting married to this prince.

"Are you looking forward to meeting him?" my maid asked as her hands darted expertly across my back, buttoning an unnervingly long string of pearly buttons on my spine. I hadn't met him yet, huh? What kind of place was this that a bride wouldn't meet her husband-to-be until a few hours before the wedding?

"I suppose so," I said and then withheld a grunt as my maid pulled on the dress, cutting off almost all of my air supply.

"I've seen him before. He's quite handsome. You're a lucky woman," she said, "But someone as beautiful as you should expect such a handsome husband."

"Beautiful?" I questioned. Nobody had said that to me before and really _meant _it. I suddenly remembered my mother pulling my hair up when I was younger. _You're so beautiful_, she would say. I'd nod as if I believed her.

"Of course, Princess. You're the most beautiful woman in Fiore," she said happily. I couldn't help but feel a bit happy, flattered. I nodded thankfully as she finished her task.

"Look," she breathed, "I told you. You're beautiful." I glanced at my reflection and couldn't help but stare. She was right. I was beautiful. Even more so than yesterday, ethereal. My beauty, however, was marred by the white dress that fell gracefully to the ground like feathers floating to the floor. I didn't want to be wearing such as dress. It was beautiful, but it reminded me of what was about to happen. _A dream, _I repeated in my head. Over and over, _a dream, a dream_.

It was hard, though. It all seemed so real to me. I'd never had a dream like this…only nightmares. It was difficult to believe that this wasn't real. The softness of the silk, lace, and satin of the dress. The smell of my perfume. The subtle warmth of the stone around my neck. It was all too real.

"You look amazing, Anna," said a gentle voice. I looked to my right and saw a beautiful woman standing in the door. There were tears in her eyes, "My little girl is finally getting married." Something about the woman in the doorway was off-putting. She seemed almost fake. Beautiful, but fake.

"Don't cry," I said, trying to hide any annoyance that might have peaked through.

"Sorry, you're right. I'd mess up my makeup," she said, fanning her eyes. Were those tears real? I couldn't tell. "Now, let's go."

I reluctantly took her arm, but the woman—my mother?—paused, "Oh, I forgot. Tilda, would you come with me for a moment? Stay here, Anna dear. I have something I want to give to you." I didn't argue.

I stood there, looking at myself in the mirror. I sighed. I was even more trapped here than I was in California. Fiore wasn't really my cup of tea, to be honest. It was amazing in its own right, but I didn't like it at all. It felt closed off and lonely. When I was a little girl, I'd always longed for an adventure. Most little girls obsessed over ponies and the color pink, not me. I wanted to be a pirate…yeah, a pirate.

I practically jumped out of my skin when a loud alarm blared throughout the halls. I glanced around nervously. There was no one in sight. I heard my heartbeat in my ears. What was that sound? Why was there an alarm? I shrunk into the corner as I heard some crashing glass and subsequently some shouts. The shouting didn't stop. I heard the sounds of clashing blades and something not unlike thunder. Was it genuine thunder? It almost seemed so.

Men rounded the corner and I panicked. I tried to make myself invisible, small, but it didn't work. A harsh hand grabbed my arm and I screamed. "Anna, don't scream," hissed a voice. A hand silenced me, clamping down over my mouth. I glanced up. Silas. The familiar face sent relief flooding throughout me and I sagged against his chest. He smiled, "You're safe. Rebels are attacking the palace. We're pretty sure they're from the North. We'll fight them back."

"Why are they here?" I asked when he finally removed his hand.

"Most likely to stop the wedding. There are a lot of people who don't want it to happen," he replied, glancing to the door as if he were waiting for someone. There were four other men here, all dressed in brilliant green uniforms.

"Why?" I asked, continuing the conversation. I know it didn't really matter to me, but I was curious. Well, maybe it did matter a bit. I secretly hoped they would succeed. The idea of not being forced into marriage didn't seem so bad right at the moment.

"The North has always been known to be more…_volatile_. They don't want an alliance," Silas said quickly. As soon as he finished informing of the situation of the rebels' motive, a loud scream—a man's—echoed through the hall. It was alarmingly close. Silas's eyes narrowed. He pointed to two guards, "Stay with her." He turned to me. "I'll be back. Don't worry. I'll keep you safe." I stared after him as he left. Somehow I didn't find his words comforting; that's probably because I wasn't really all that worried. Being captured by rebels was just another event happening in my ultra-realistic dream.

I stepped towards the window, suddenly curious as to what was going on outside. After all, there were shouts and screams coming from there as well. Remember how I told you that I wanted to be a pirate? Yeah, gruesome stuff had never really bothered me.

One of the guards took my shoulder and I felt the cold of his metallic gauntlet on my bare skin, "It's dangerous. Don't go near the window."

I frowned, but didn't argue. I sighed and slumped against the wall, sliding down it until I was sitting against the tapestry behind me. Tapestry? I hadn't noticed this before. Had it always been there? I turned to look at it, staring up at it. It stretched the entire length of the wall, which was not something to be scoffed at. I couldn't imagine how much time and effort it would have taken. Every single stitch, thread, and bead was in the exact spot it should have been in. It portrayed a green dragon standing above a man dressed in rich red cloth. The longer I stared, the more lifelike it seemed. After a while of my unblinking daze, it started moving. The dragon turned its head, its scaled shining in the fire that surrounded the two figures.

"Don't be a fool," growled the dragon. Its head loomed close to the man.

"We must do something!" shouted the man. His robes swirled around him as the dragon beat its magnificent wings.

"Man's arrogance is revolting," the dragon said angrily. Its bright green eyes shone, reflecting the flames.

The man spoke next, his eyes full of rage, "Princess, are you alright?" I blinked. That didn't seem right. A bit out of place, if you'd ask me.

"Princess?" asked another voice. I blinked again. The dragon was no longer shimmering and alive. It was just a series of organized stitched, one after the other. I clutched my necklace and turned to the guard.

"Yes, I apologize," I said quietly, "What is this tapestry of?" Another shout reminded me that we were under attack and I regretted the casual conversation. These men's nation was under attack and I was asking them about a piece of dusty fabric that hung on the wall behind me. They didn't seem to mind, though.

"That's Kazomere, the man," said the first guard. He had friendly eyes. I listened intently. "And the dragon…that's Vitruvius, the founder of our kingdom."

I stared, "I dragon…founded our kingdom?"  
He looked surprised, "You…don't know this?" I decided to shut up. It wouldn't look good if the princess didn't know the history of her own country, er, kingdom.

"Raul, look," said one of the guards, nudging his comrade in arms. They'd apparently noticed something that drew their attention. They went over to the window and stared. "What…_is _that?" Raul asked.

"Psst," said a voice. I looked to my right and there, sitting beside me nonchalantly, was the little blue cat, "Nice seeing you again."

I nodded, "You, too, Harold." I'd learned a while ago to expect anything here—a tapestry moving out of the blue was definitely one of those things to expect—so seeing Harold here wasn't that surprising.

He frowned, "My name's not Harold."

I gasped, "Oh, I'm sorry. Was it Henry? I knew it. I'm sorry for forgetting."

"It's not Henry," he grumbled, turning up his nose, "It's Happy."

"What's happy?" I asked, leaning closer.

"My name," he said, glancing at me.

"Your name is…Happy?" I asked. He stared at me. I stared back. He was angry. I was amused.

I broke the silence, "But 'happy' is an adject—"

"I know it's an adjective!" Happy shouted. I looked to the guards who had spun around due to Happy's shouting.

"Uh oh, look what _you _did," I said.

"Why is there a cat here?" Raul demanded. Happy and I shrugged in unison. Before Raul could grab Happy by the scruff of his adorably fluffy neck, the window behind the two guards shattered. I flinched back and held my arms over my face. I didn't need flying shards of glass in my eye; that was for sure.

"Happy!" reprimanded a voice. I lowered my arms slowly and looked up. "You almost got us caught. What if that other guy had come back in here because of you?!"

The boy who was shouting in front of me was…different. He wore clothes that looked like they needed to be washed long ago. They had rips all over them, but that only served to make him look ruggedly handsome. He wore a hat that hid his face from me. The only other observation that could be made was that he had a strong yet slim build. Oh, he was also talking to a cat, but so had I, so I didn't have the right to judge him.

"He's definitely going to come in here if you keep yelling like that," Happy pointed out, "And you're scaring her." He pointed to me.

"I'm not scared, but he does have a point. Silas will come back if he hears you," I said calmly, crossing my arms over my chest. The boy turned to me, his face still hidden. I watched as he stepped closer and closer to me, his heavy boots thunking on the cold marble. He knelt down beside me and slowly slid his hat off, (while this was happening I was secretly imagining it to be a pirate hat…that would have been awesome).

My breath caught, "Pink."

He smiled. My heart skipped a beat. Skipped a beat? My heart never does that! It was probably the most amazing smile I'd ever seen in my life, though. I had to admit that. He leaned close to me and I leaned away, "Who are you?"

"My name is Natsu Dragneel," he said.

"That's some last name," I mumbled.

"Thank you," he said with another smile. How had he even heard that? "Who are you?" he asked.

I stared at him for a moment, fleetingly getting lost in his amber like eyes, "I'm Anna." His eyes widened.

He turned to his cat, "Anna? This is her?"

"Really? You're Anna?" asked the cat.

"And you're Happy."

"You're Anna? _The _Anna?" Natsu asked.

I smiled, sort of enjoying this little game, "And you're _the _Natsu, are you not?"

He grinned. "In that case," he offered me his hand, "I'm here to kidnap you." My jaw dropped. He was going to kidnap. A thought crossed my mind.

"I could scream, you know," I said calmly, "Silas would come in a heartbeat." That choice of words wasn't wise; it reminded me of how my own heart was pounding at his proximity.

Natsu's countenance suddenly darkened. He push me to the floor and positioned himself above me. I was froze, pinned down by his fiery eyes. He leaned down so close that I thought he was going to kiss me. Instead, he turned his head to the side and whispered into my ear. "You'd be burnt to a crisp before he'd walk through that door."

Heat erupted near my head and my eyes went wide. Natsu's hand was on fire. On _fire_! I gulped. This was just a dream. This could happen…right? A shiver went down my back despite the heat that was pouring through me from his closeness and the literal flames near my face. I stared at him. Jeez, why was this happening to _me _of all people? The worst violence that I'd ever experienced was by Johanna, and that was just bullying. Now, this guy—who my heart was inexplicably pounding for—was threatening to murder me.

I sighed and pushed him off of me. He landed on his rear and stared at me in surprise, "What are you—"

"You're here to kidnap me, right? Get on with it, then. I don't have time for these stupid threats of yours. I wouldn't actually scream, anyway. It's not like I actually want to stay here, anyway." I got to my feet and brushed off my dress. It occurred to me that my dress would be a bit of an inconvenience if we were trying to run away through masses of brawling soldiers and rebels. I stroked my nonexistent wizard beard. I was jerked from my thoughts by warm laughter.

"You, you, you are the strangest girl I've ever met!" Natsu gasped in between bouts of uncontainable laughter, "I like you!"

I turned away from him, "Laugh it up." I rummaged through my drawers searching for something, anything, that would allow me a bit more mobility. It had taken me quite a while to find that summer dress. I wondered if I had another one.

"Princess Annabeth!" shouted a distressed voice.

"Oh. Guess you shouldn't have laughed so loudly," I said, turning to look at Silas. He was staring at me in shock.

"Anna, don't do this," he said sternly. I could detect a hint of fear in his voice. I stared at him.

"Hey, are we going or are you going to take me up on my previous offer?" Natsu asked, nudging my arm.

I shrugged, "If I had to choose between being forced to marry a prince I haven't even met and possibly being blackened by your strange hand-fire or _not _being forced to marry a prince I haven't even met and _not _being blackened by your strange hand-fire…" I stroked my wizard beard again. "Yeah, let's go."

Natsu grinned again—I suppose I can't forget to mention the repetitive heart-fluttering involved with that—and reached for me. My eyes went wide as he swept me off my feat, (literally not figuratively).  
"Anna, stop!" Silas shouted, his guards flanking him as he charged forward. It was too late, though. We were already on the balcony.

"You know, when I first saw you I thought you mugged a hobo for your wardrobe," I said as he walked up to the railing.

He grinned, "I can assure you that's not the case."

"Promise?" I asked. I'd already ruled out the possibility, though; he looked like a hobo, but he didn't smell like one. Actually, he smelled sort of campfires, s'mores and all. I couldn't help but smile a little. I glanced over his shoulder and realized that Silas was getting closer. I was suddenly glad that my room here was so huge. If we'd been in my room at home, Silas would've been able to traverse the entire thing with just a few steps.

"Promise," he said with a stern nod. With that, he tossed me off the edge of the balcony. My dress billowed around me as I plummeted towards the stones below. Time seemed to slow down. My last thought before I would die was: _well, at least he didn't burn me to a crisp._

Well, it would've been my last thought if an extremely muscly, blond man hadn't caught me. "Fancy meeting you here. I'm Anna," I said immediately, offering my hand. He set me down on the ground. I caught sight of a scar across his eye.

"Whatever," he said and then turned. I followed after him persistently.

"Thanks for not letting me die, Muscles," I said. I fought to keep up with him in my dress.

"Don't call me that, Shorty," he said almost calmly.

"Don't call me Shorty, Scarface," I shot back. Electricity crackled around him.

"Never say that again," he growled. Uh oh, I struck a nerve. "Cheerleader, deal with this!" he yelled. I couldn't help but wonder if his weird lightning thing was what causing those thunder sounds earlier. Also, was that sort of thing normal here? I mean, Natsu was on fire and didn't seem to mind. I mentally shrugged.

"Are you the princess?" asked a voice. I turned and saw a relatively normal-looking girl standing in front of me, "And don't call me cheerleader!"

I was working on yanking my hair from the tight bun that was killing me, "That'd be me, but you can just call me Anna."

She blinked, "You seem relatively cool about this whole kidnapping thing." I looked her up and down. She had straight blond hair and a pretty face. She seemed friendly enough. She had a noticeably large chest.

"Are you one of the rebels?" I asked.

She hesitated, "I guess you could say that, but we prefer to call ourselves—"

"Rosae Crucis," interrupted a voice. A familiar voice.

"And I'm Lucy," said the girl, pointing to herself an smiling. I finally tugged my hair free and it cascaded down my shoulers, my delicate curls bouncing as I stepped towards Natsu.

"What is _wrong _with you!?" I demanded. He stumbled backwards and gave me a look as if I'd shot him.

"What?"

"You threw me off of a balcony, you ass!" I shouted.

"Um, that was the plan. It's not his fault," Lucy interrupted.

"That's a stupid plan!" I said.

"Anna!" called a voice. I slapped a hand to my forehead.

"Seriously, Silas? Just give up," I groaned.

"That guy again?" Natsu asked, "Where is he? I'll get him." Natsu charged off to find my fervent persuer. I caught a glimpse of white hair in the crowds that fought around us. Silas. I can't say I didn't feel bad, but it felt good to be free of this castle. I didn't like leaving Silas, though. He'd tried to cheer me up, in his own way.

"We should go," Lucy said, "We need to get you out of here." I couldn't stop staring at Natsu who was charging towards Silas. Lucy grabbed my hand and led me away. I stumbled at first, but caught myself.

"Sorry, but I need to get you out of here," Lucy shouted over the sounds of the fighting.

"Lucy, is that her?" called a woman with bright red hair.

"I've got her!" Lucy yelled back.

"Pull back! Everyone out! We've done it!" shouted the woman. She smiled at me, but she seemed a bit intimidating. Beautiful, but in a scary way. I suddenly tripped over, oh god, it was an unconscious person. Or was he dead?

"Anna!" Lucy shouted. I looked up and saw her being carried away by the people pouring out of the narrow gate of the courtyard. I looked back at the man and poked him.

"Hey, are you dead? Your friends are leaving," I said to him. He wasn't wearing the green uniform of the castle guard, so I assumed he was a rebel. Actually, he wasn't wearing a shirt at all, for that matter.

He groaned and lifted his head, "Good morning."

I noticed a bump on his head and gently touched it, "Are you alright? That looks like it hurts."

He lazily looked and me and then froze completely, "Who are you?"

"That's not important," I said, "Let's go." I got to my feet and offered him my hand. He took it and then looked away from me. I punched his arm. "What's wrong with you? Come on."

I turned to follow the crowd, but tripped on the hem of my dress. I let out a string of less than ladylike curses as I tumbled towards the ground. Luckily for me, strong arms encircled my waist and pulled me upright. I looked up and saw the face of the guy I'd just brought back to life.

"That's dangerous," he said cooly. Well, it would have been cool if, as soon as he looked me in the eye, his face didn't turn red.

"Um, are you alright? Maybe you hit your head a little hard?" I said, reaching for his forehead. Did he have a fever? He slapped my hand away.

"I'm fine," he said. He then leaned down and took a hold of my dress.

"Hey, what are you—" I gasped when he yanked, hard. My dress made a sickening sound as it ripped.

"You can't run in that," he said and tossed the fabric aside.

"What a crying shame," I said, looking down at myself, "Now my legs are cold."

He grabbed my arm and led me through the crowd. Granted, I could move a lot easier after I was freed from the pounds of fabric that had once been my dress.

"I don't mean to be a downer, but most people wear shirts," I said.

He glanced down and his face turned red again. "Gray doesn't like shirts," Natsu said, joining us. He jogged on my other side.

"Shut up, Natsu!" Gray growled.

"It's true. You're just a popsicle of a stripper," Natsu said as we made for the bright light on the other side of the gate.

"I hate you," Gray said plainly.

"I admire your honesty," I pointed out.

"What? Can't come up with an insult?" Natsu asked. I glanced at Gray, but he looked flustered. His face was still red and he wouldn't look at us.

I laughed, "You guys are fun."

The two strange guys ran alongside me as we burst through the gate and into the bright daylight. I couldn't help but smile. Natsu let out a whoop and Gray grinned. I felt…happy.

* * *

**Hmmm...did you like it? Feedback is very much appreciated. Thanks!**


	3. Confused Anna

_~Chapter Three~_

Confused Anna

"She's _so _pretty," said the girl. She'd been staring at me for a while now, so I'd gotten a bit used to it.

"Thanks again," I said, "You've already said that, though."

The girl, her brilliant blue hair shining in the light, suddenly snapped out of her daze. I jumped. "Um, are you alri—"

"I'm so sorry! That was terribly rude!" she said, her face red. I smiled.

"Don't worry about it."

"Three minutes and forty-two seconds," said the white cat.

"Huh?" asked the girl.

"That's how long you were staring at her," said the cat. Talking cats. Eh. I'd adjusted.

The girl looked even more mortified, "I'm sorry."

"My name is Carla. This is Wendy. Excuse her manners, she's still young," said the cat. I nodded.

"My name is Anna," I said with a smile. Somehow, being here, I couldn't stop smiling.

"I'm not that young," Wendy argued.

"Shall we get to the point?" Carla asked promptly. I blinked. Point?

Wendy nodded, delighted, "Are you injured anywhere?"

"Um…" I hesitated. I gave myself a quick once over. My knees were a little bruised from tripping so many times on my dress, but otherwise I was perfectly fine. Gray and Natsu had taken good care of me. I suddenly wanted to see them.

"I'm not hurt, thank you," I said.

"Let me see your legs." She reached for me and I was suddenly self-conscious.

"It's really alright," I said, "I don't need any—"

"Ah, you have bruises everywhere!" I winced as she touched my bruised and battered skin.

"It's really alright," I said, "I don't need any medicine. I wouldn't want to use up your supplies."

"What medicine are you talking about?" she asked, positioning her hand over my knees. Just as I was about to ask what _she _was talking about, a soft blue light emanated from her palm. I stared, my jaw dropping. "I use Sky Dragonslayer magic. I'm a healer."

"Magic…" I mumbled, "Of course." I didn't bother asking what a Dragonslayer was.

"Wendy, how is she?" shouted a voice. Four people burst through the door at once. I jumped and fell off of my chair, groaning and holding my head.

"That hurt a bit," I mumbled.

"Oh my gosh, Anna are you ok?" said a worried voice. I opened my eyes and saw Lucy's concerned face hovering above me. I nodded and smiled.

"I'm fine," I said with an embarrassed smile, "So tell me, which one is the real Lucy?"

"Oh my god! Seriously?" she asked. I laughed and stood up.

"I was kidding, worrywart," I said with a gentle snicker.

A strong hand grabbed onto my arm and started shaking me, "Are you dead!? Did you die?!" It was Natsu, clearly. His shaking of my entire body sort of made it hard to make out, but I could tell it was him because of the pink hair.

"I'm not dead, Natsu," I said. He stopped shaking me and stared at me.

"You're sure?" he asked.

"Is he serious?" I asked, turning to the woman with red hair who was standing with her arms crossed over her armor-clad chest.

"He was very worried," she said with a slight smile. I turned back to Natsu and patted his head.

"That's so cute," I said with a grin. He reeled backward.

"You called me cute!"

I blinked, "Yeah."

"Knowing Natsu, he probably took that as an insult," Gray said.

"Yeah, well...it wasn't," I said, "Actually, it was a compliment...or maybe it was revenge for tossing me out a window."

He glared at me, "You mean for _rescuing _you?"

I smiled, "If that's what you want to call it."

"Hey, what are you guys doing in here?" Wendy asked.

"Uh, checking on the princess. Duh," Natsu replied instantly. I smiled.

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. Just a few bruises," I said.

"The princess needs to rest!" Wendy insisted, "And she can't do that with you guys looming over her!"

"I do agree with that statement. She's been through a lot this past day, so perhaps we should leave her to get some sleep," said Carla the cat. I fought my urge to pet her soft-looking head. Something told me that would be weird; in addition, I didn't want to offend her.

"She doesn't look tired, though," Gray pointed out. He looked at me for a while and then glanced away. I raised an eyebrow.

Lucy sat next to me on the bed and took my face in her hands, "I think that's because she's so pretty. If you look closely, you can tell." I'm pretty sure I blushed.

"Uh...thanks. Same to you," I said. Lucy smiled kindly and stood up.

"Yeah, but seriously. We should leave," Lucy said. I didn't necessarily want them to leave. I actually enjoyed their company. They were a funny gang. Still, I couldn't lie and say that I wasn't tired. Between being mysteriously transported to this 'Fiore' place, nearly getting married, and being hurled out of a window...I was pretty beat. I mean, I'd slept last night, but that bed was weirdly foreign; plus, I'd had that dream again.

"Get some rest, Princess Anna. We'll be back soon. The Master undoubtedly wants to meet with you," said the armor woman.

"Master? Alright, then. Oh, but what was your name again? I don't think I ever found out," I said, pressing a finger to my chin curiously.

She smiled, "My name is Erza Scarlet. It's nice to meet you, Princess." I smiled.

"If you don't mind, would you stop calling me Princess?" I asked. Erza stared at me for a moment, looking confused. She slowly nodded and turned to leave.

"Of course," she said before she left the room.

"Why don't you want to be called Princess?" Natsu asked, leaning unnervingly close to me. I flinched at his closeness and held up my hand so he wouldn't come any closer.

"Um…"

Before I could answer, Natsu was jerked away from me. His head ended up in an armlock, specially delivered by Gray, "Don't ask a lady questions she doesn't want to answer!" Gray nodded to me, "We'll be seeing you, Anna."

I watched as Gray dragged Natsu out the door. They disappeared behind the old-looking wooden doorframe, but I could still hear Natsu's shouts of protest quite a bit later. Wendy soon followed after them and waved shyly to me, "Call if you need anything. I'll be close."

"She's cute," I said, staring after her, "Just like a little doll."

"I know. She's actually a more recent addition to the guild," Lucy said. I jumped again and clutched my chest.

"I forgot you were still in here," I said, trying to catch my breath. Jeez, I was seriously too jumpy for my own good. My mom had always been like that too. I felt my heart twist a bit at the thought of her, but I wasn't sure why.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you," Lucy said as she took a step towards me.

I held my hand up as if to apologize myself, "No, it's ok. I tend to jump like that. At least, I think I do." I couldn't help but remember how I hadn't even flinched when Skylar's arms encircled me from behind. That's weird. Maybe it was because I was so familiar with him that it didn't occur to my subconscious that he could potentially be a murderer. Hmmm…

"I just wanted to ask you something," Lucy said quietly.

"Yeah? What's that?" I asked.

"Why did you go along with it when we came to kidnap you?" she questioned. She stared at me. I had to ponder for a moment. The first thing that popped into my head was Natsu. As soon as he'd reached his hand out to me, I was more than ready to be kidnapped...which was stupid. You'd think that _maybe _I would have been a bit wary of my kidnapper...nope. I wasn't about to tell Lucy that I was alright with being kidnapped because of some girlish reason like 'because it was Natsu.' No way.

"Have you ever lived in a castle?" I asked. She stared at me for a moment.

"No, not really," she replied. I nodded.

"Try living in one for a bit, then tell me if you'd want to be kidnapped or not," I said with a sigh.

"Oh, so it had nothing to do with the marriage?" Lucy asked. She looked almost disappointed for some reason.

I smiled, "Well, there was that, too." Lucy nodded and headed towards the door.

"Someone'll be outside your door. Talk to them if you need something," Lucy said with a small smile before she vanished as well. I sighed and flopped onto the bed. It really had been a long dream. Still, at this point I wasn't really sure about anything. It was a freakishly long, lifelike, and surprisingly entertaining dream...if it was a dream at all. I decided that if I slept again and didn't wake up in my bed in the cold attic of my house, I would take this whole weird situation seriously.

I ran my fingers slowly through my long hair and closed my eyes as I began to think. My mind automatically went to Silas, to the prince I'd abandoned, to the _life _I'd run away from. Had I been an idiot to willingly accept abduction? I mean, these people were _rebels_. Rebels, as far as I've heard on TV news channels, are generally violence-wielding radicalists. These rebels seemed a bit different, though. They were legitimately concerned about my injuries, which was strange if they only intended to mistreat me. They seemed like a group of friends instead of actual enemies. Plus, there was Natsu…

I don't know why he was so interesting to me. There was something about him that'd caught my attention, though. The minute I saw him, I was curious. My curiosity is normally unquenchable, which made the whole situation even worse. I wanted to know more about him. I know that sounds weird and stalkerish, but I was genuinely interested. Maybe it was because, out of all the people I'd met in Fiore, he was the only one who hadn't given me a second glance. It was strange how I used to wish people would look at me and see me as beautiful, but now I was practically fascinated by the one person who wouldn't. I sighed as I felt sleep drift over me. I seriously had to get my head on straight.

"_Anna? Can you hear me?" asked a voice. I silently cursed it, wanting to return to my peaceful sleep. "Anna?" The voice really wouldn't stop. _

"_I can hear you," I mumbled. _

"_Anna! You're there?" _

"_Stop talking! I'm sleepy," I grumbled. _

"_Anna, you need to wake up. Something happened, and now we're-"_

"_I thought I said to stop talking," I interrupted, "Who are you?"_

"Anna?" asked a gentle voice. I smiled. It seemed familiar and warm. "_Wait, Anna. Don't go yet. I need to tell you-"_

"Anna, wake up."

"What'll you give me?" I asked. The sleep was starting to leave me. I'd practically already forgotten about whoever it was who was trying to tell me something or other. It was probably a dream, anyway. Wait, can you have dreams inside of dreams. Can you even sleep inside of dreams? Well, somehow I'd managed it.

"I won't burn you to death," Natsu said. I opened my eyes and looked up at him.

"Well, if you put it like that…" I rubbed my eyes and looked up at him, "How long was I asleep?" He sat beside me.

"Just a few hours," he answered. I looked down and realized that there was a wool blanket draped over me.

"Did you put this here?" I asked. He nodded.

"You looked cold." I smiled and nodded back.

"Thanks."

"The Master wants to see you. You'll get food after that," he said. I nodded and yawned, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. I frowned.

As if reading my mind, Natsu said, "There are clothes over there. You should change out of...that." He gestured to my ripped and dirtied dress.

"What, you don't think I look good?" I jested.

"Never said that," he said as he strolled out the door, "I'll wait outside. Be quick. I'm not really a patient guy." He shut the door behind him and I frowned.

"_Clearly_," I whispered under my breath. I walked over to the table across the room and looked at the clothes that were laid out. They weren't much, just a simple black t-shirt and some ripped jeans. I smiled. "Just like home," I said. At least they had normal clothes in Fiore; I guess it was just the princess who had to wear such embarrassing dresses all the time. As I changed, I couldn't help but wish that I had my familiar sweatshirt to cover up my exposed shoulders.

I yawned and rubbed my shoulders as I headed towards the door. I pulled it open and nearly slammed into Natsu. "Jeez! What are you doing standing so close to the door like that!?" I yelled. He'd legitimately startled me, so I had a right to yell.

He smiled amusedly, "You really don't seem like a princess. Are you sure you're the real deal?"

"Shut up!" I said and marched down the hallway ahead of him.

"Anna!" he called after me. I stopped walking and turned to look at him. I channeled as much sass as I could into one look and shot it his way.

"What now?"

Natsu smiled, "You're...going the wrong way." I could practically feel the blood draining from my face. I nodded resolutely and tried to hide my embarrassment.

"Yeah...of course I am. Hey, it's my first time here!" I said as I marched past him; the marching didn't really have the same effect as it did earlier...it was sort of pathetic now.

Natsu followed after me and I stopped walking. He stopped a few feet in front of me and looked at me. "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?" he asked. He bowed his head to he could look at my face better. I shook my head and looked up. I was about to admit that it would be better for him to lead the way, but right as I lifted my face, he did something I can't say I had been expecting.

"I th-" I began, but my words were cut off my utter shock. Natsu took my face in his warm hands and tilted my head up. He leaned forward and...pressed his forehead to mine. My eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "Uh...um...what are you-"

"You don't seem like you have a fever," Natsu said, "But if you don't feel good you should still go to Wendy again." He pulled away and headed down the hallway, continuing our journey. I just stood there like an idiot and stared after him. When he didn't hear my footsteps after him, he turned, "Can you not walk?"

"No, I can," I said, suddenly feeling really self conscious. I rubbed my bare shoulders awkwardly and shifted from foot to foot.

He walked towards me again and put his hand on my shoulder, "On second thought, you do look a little red." _Crap! I didn't realize I was blushing that much!_

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Shoot," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall casually.

"Why...do you care?" I asked. It was a stupid question. I mean, seriously...what did I expect? '_Because I care about you.' _No, that would definitely not happen. My hopes were up, and that was dumb. Wait, why did I even want him to say that? Was I seriously that needy? I meet a guy and the next day I cling to him like a little girl? A therapist would probably tell me it had something to do with, for a lack of a better term, 'daddy issues.' That was stupid, though, just like me. I refused to give into that notion...or to be clingy. I raised my hand to stop Natsu, "Actually, don't answer that. I don't really care."

Natsu stared at me, his mouth still hanging open as if he were about to say something. I reached forward and snapped it shut with my pointer finger. He looked really confused...and maybe a little hurt? Nope, that was probably just wishful thinking. I mentally pinched myself. _Don't be an idiot, Anna! _

I walked past him, "This way, right?" He nodded and jogged to catch up with me. He'd clearly already forgotten the previous topic, (or rather, _source of confusion_ in his case and _source of embarrassment _in mine), because the next he spoke, he didn't even remotely mention the previous focus of our conversation...if you can even call it a conversation.

"Yeah, we've probably been keeping him waiting long enough by now," Natsu said. I suddenly had a bunch of images of this mysterious 'Master' pass through my head. The most prominent of which was a big burly man who had a handlebar mustache and rippling muscles. He ended up looking a bit like a commanding officer from the army that you always see in those blow-it-up action flicks. Man, I couldn't have been more wrong. I was pretty shocked when I saw a tiny guy with tiny wisps of white hair and a stately, gentlemanly mustache sitting right on the bar. If you asked me what a dwarfish wizard looked like, I would almost perfectly describe this dude; then again...he was a dwarfish wizard…so I guess that makes sense.

"You are Anna?" he asked me. I nodded awkwardly and Natsu gently shoved me forward. He whispered in my ear as other people, strangers, gathered around to witness the interaction that was about to happen.

"Don't worry. He's harmless...just...don't piss him off," Natsu said. I made a semi-squeaky dying sound as he glided past me. I glared at him; he just grinned back.

"Come closer, child," said the Master. I obeyed. He didn't seem like he was going to hurt me, but I still used an appropriate amount of caution when approaching the guy. There was something about him that seemed...powerful? That was a strange thing to think of such a small human being, but he somehow seemed strong...superior to the rest of the people in the room. Of course, that included me, (which also made sense, me not being able to use the magic that seemed to be fairly evident in this world).

"Here you go. Tell me if you need anything to make you more comfortable," said a friendly looking lady as she set down a chair beside me. She smiled and nodded to me, but soon afterward her silver hair disappeared back into the crowd. I looked back to the Master as I sat down.

"Yes, my name is Anna," I said honestly. Hey, it wasn't a lie. I might not be this 'princess' they're looking for, but I wasn't lying in saying that my name was Anna. Who knows, though; maybe I really am a princess and my whole other life was just a dream. It seemed to realistic to be a dream, though. I was seriously starting to get confused at this point. Nothing in Fiore made sense. I still wanted to believe that I was just regular old Anna from California with no life and no worries. I sort of missed that life for some reason. I'd never thought much of it until now, though. It's sort of a shame that I had to have that life, my mom and my friend, (singular), ripped away from me before I realized how much I appreciated them. God, I missed my iPod.

"Tell me, Anna, why did you come to us so willingly?" the Master asked. Wow, getting straight to the point, huh? I had to think about this one for a moment. It wasn't like I could tell the truth. _I'm pretty sure this whole thing is a dream, so I figured 'why the heck not, right? _or '_I just felt like it as soon as I saw Natsu. _Yeah, no. I came up with the closest thing to the truth that I could muster, what I thought that the real Princess Anna would say, (if I wasn't her...gosh, this whole thing was rather confusing).

"I was being forced into a marriage I didn't want. It was a very much welcome escape," I said, bowing my head a bit. The Master was silent for a moment, so I looked up again curiously. He just stared into my eyes.

"You didn't want it? Why?" he asked. The whole room was silent and I could feels way too many stares on me for me to be comfortable. I was seriously starting to sweat there.

"Because I'd never met him, and you shouldn't marry anyone unless you love them," I said honestly. Well, it wasn't a lie; it was, however, a stupid thing to say in front of the entire posse of rebellious hoodlums. I heard several laughs in the crowd and I wanted to go and hide in a corner. That was a sort of embarrassing thing to say in front of them. Still, I held my head high. I wasn't about to show weakness over something to trivial.

The Master smiled slightly, "That was the only reason?"

I blinked, "What other reason were you thinking of?"

"To stop the Union," he said with a straight face. I blinked again.

"The whaaa?"

"The Union. You don't know, do you?"

"All I know is that you rebellious hoodlums want to stop the marriage between the kingdoms to preserve the fude. No?"

The Master shook his head, "No. We have a much better reason for not wanting the two families to be married."

"And that is…" I said expectantly. I probably crossed the line there, because the Master looked at me and only smiled.

"All in good time," he said, "But there is something that is bothering me. You're clearly hiding something important from us. I would like to know what it is. I understand you not wanting to tell us yet, but perhaps in due time you'll change your mind."

"What makes you think I'm hiding something?" I asked, (though he was spot on).

"I have an incredibly remarkable perceptive ability...not to toot my own horn or anything of the like; that is how I know you're withholding something. However, I also know that you've not lied. I'll take that as hope for the future friendship I wish to achieve between us."

"Friendship? But...you abducted me," I said, "You're the rebellion."

"I'm afraid you've been horribly misinformed about us. I do not intend to allow any harm to come to you, or to the Fiore."

"Then why did you stop the wedding?"

"All in good time, remember? There is one thing I would like to ask of you, however," he said as he turned away from me, "Try to make friends here. They're all rather nice people. Some are a bit..._rougher_ than others, but you'll find that they all are very good people, very good wizards. Perhaps, you'll find the answer you're looking for here?" With that he leapt from the bar and strode majestically out the door, (I don't know how the little guy managed to stride majestically...but he did).

I stared after him for a few moments before his words sunk in. "Wait, how did he know that I was confused about something?" I asked.

"Master just sometimes knows these things," Lucy said as she sat beside me, "Are you feeling ok? Natsu told me he thought you might have a fever. He was really worried."

I sighed, "I'm ok. Just a little tired. It's been a strange few days, to be honest."

She smiled, "Yeah, getting kidnapped was probably a bit of an energy-drainer for you, no?"

"Yeah, but it's more than that. Maybe one day I'll tell you...maybe."

She looked puzzled for a moment and then shrugged, "We're all entitled to our secrets."

"That's what I don't get about you!" I said immediately, turning to her and looking her right in the eye, "Why aren't you grilling me for information to bring down the monarchy or something? Isn't that what happens in the movies?"

Lucy blinked, "I really don't know what you're talking about right now."

"Perhaps you would enlighten us?" I practically slid out of my seat. I turned and saw Erza sitting behind me. It was strange that she managed to sneak up on me. She seemed to be a particularly attention grabbing person, so I'd have figured I would have caught her sneaking up on me.

"I just...expected something different from you guys," I said quietly, picking at one of the holes in my borrowed ripped jeans.

"Then the feeling is mutual." Yet another one of my rebel acquantances joined us. Gray sat next to Lucy and leaned back so he could still see me, "I definitely didn't expect you to be the way you are. I honestly thought you would be some spoiled little girl."

"Wait, then what am I?" I asked curiously.

He looked away and spoke, "A normal person."

I blinked and looked to Lucy, "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"Compliment!" Gray practically shouted, (sort of desperately, I might add).

I nodded to make sure he knew I understand, "Calm down, I won't hate you if you call me weird. I'm sort of used to that." That was the honest to God truth. I'd been called strange, ugly, or weird so many times in my life. Then again, that wasn't in Fiore. Reality was sort of starting to blur together at this point.

"If you're normal you might not fit in here, though," Natsu said, leaning against the back of my chair, "We've all got our quirks."

"I'm normal compared to you," Lucy said, raising her hand as if she were waiting to be called on by a teacher. I smiled when everyone stared at her blankly.

"Well, maybe only a _little _more normal," Lucy said, ducking her head. I heard a few people laugh a few tables over. Apparently they'd been listening in on our conversation. I looked at them, and a girl with bluish hair smiled at me. That was something else you didn't see in California: hair of every color in the rainbow. Well, unless you count Katy Perry.

"Sorry, you're sort of the talk of the guild right now," Lucy said.

"Who would not be interested in her, though. She _is _a princess. It's just like something from a fairy tale," Erza said dreamily. I swear I saw sparkles in her eyes.

"Not to mention that you're really pretty," Lucy said, poking my arm.

"Um...thanks," I said awkwardly, "I guess." I'm not sure I liked being called beautiful. I mean, of course it was nice. If I had to blame it on something I would blame it on me missing my California life. I sighed and propped my chin on my palm.

"What's with that sigh?" Gray asked.

I smiled, "Maybe I'll tell you one day...maybe."

"Wow, you're mysterious..." he said.

"...for a princess," Natsu added. I turned and tried to punch Natsu, but he dodged. I cursed my delicate figure silently. I grumbled under my breath while Natsu laughed.

"You're a jerk," I mumbled.

"And you're quick to throw a punch," Natsu pointed out.

I smiled, "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!" He laughed and I felt an annoying sense of fulfillment. _Shut up__, heart! You suck!_

**So, chapter three. I'm only continuing this for you reviewers who actually care. If you're really enthusiastic about the story, make sure to review. I'm actually starting to like this story, though; who knows, I might finish it? It's up to you, my wonderful reviewers. :)**


	4. Resolute Anna

_~Chapter Four~_

Resolute Anna

I was honestly still adjusting to...everything. The rebels were very _lively_, to put it mildly. As far as I could tell, they couldn't go five minutes without starting another fight amongst themselves. Especially Natsu.

"Say that to my face!" Natsu yelled. I'm pretty sure he would have grabbed Gray's collar forcefully, but Gray wasn't wearing clothes. Again. I'd grown accustomed to Gray's strange habit, but still thought it peculiar.

"I just did, idiot!" Gray yelled back. He grabbed Natsu's scarf and, for some reason that went unknown to me, that pissed Natsu off. Before I knew it, Gray was sent flying. I sighed and turned around in my seat. This was just the usual scene.

"You look bored," said a deep voice. I stiffened and looked to my left. I vaguely recognized the guy who was next to me.

I pointed a finger at him, "The guy who caught me?" He nodded. "Thanks again for not letting me become pavement putty."

He stared at me, "What?"

"Never mind. Anyway, yeah, I'm a bit bored," I replied.

"You must have a special talent to get bored here. I'm Laxus," he said, pointing to himself.

I nodded, "Sometimes I think so, too. Oh, and it's nice to meet you. I figure you already know this, but I'm-"

"Anna!" someone interrupted. I flinched when someone tackled me from behind.

"Jeez! Do you want me to die?" I shouted, looking up at Natsu.

He scoffed, "You wouldn't die just from that. I wouldn't hurt you." I smiled. Of course he wouldn't hurt me, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to toy with him.

"You're right, I wouldn't die," I said, "But it still hurt."

He stared at me, "Really?"

I nodded, crossing my arms, "Yes. Apologize."

He looked horrified, "Huh?"

"Apologize," I repeated. I flicked some of my silky hair out of my eyes and whipped Natsu's face with it...intentionally.

Natsu grimaced, "You really are starting to seem like a spoiled Princess."

"Isn't that what you expected?" I asked, dropping the act.

"I liked that you weren't what I expected, though," Natsu said. I fought the urge to either touch him or run away.

"Thanks, I guess," I said, looking away from him.

I could practically hear him smiling, "So, I was thinking that you should come on a job with us!"

I blinked, "Job?" I turned back to him and stared at him. He eased off and sat on the other side of me. Natsu opened his mouth to speak, but Laxus beat him to it.

"We make a living off of jobs given to us by people who also don't support the monarchy," Laxus said, "Of course, it's a secret."

"Laxus!" Natsu shouted. Laxus didn't even look up.

"What do you do on these jobs?" I asked Natsu.

"I think the one we just got was to take out some monster somewhere," Natsu replied. I gulped.

"Monster?" Of course there are monsters in Fiore. That was just one more tidbit that came along to brighten my day. Images of grotesque creatures from horror movies flashed through my head in fast motion.

"A wyvern, to be exact," Lucy said, joining us, "One of those green ones. The really tough ones."

"Wyvern?" I questioned, "Tough?" I wracked my brain for what little information I possessed of wyverns.

"Are those like dragons?" I asked Lucy.

She grinned, "Sorry, but dragons don't exist. I guess they're similar, though." She stroked her chin, in deep thought. Dragons don't exist? But I thought a dragon created my kingdom…Vitruvius, I think. I didn't ask, though. I had a feeling that I would be in Fiore for a while, if not forever, and would have plenty of time to ask questions later.

"Why are you discussing wyverns with Anna?" Erza asked suspiciously, coming up behind Lucy.

"They want me to come on their job," I answered. Natsu covered up my mouth with his hand immediately.

"No! No, we don't!" he corrected. I blinked..._what? But, you just…_

"Absolutely not!" Erza yelled. She had her arms positioned over her armored chest crossly.

"Erza!" Lucy protested.

"No! It'd be much too dangerous for her! She's just a princess!" Erza said, gesturing to me. I ripped Natsu's hand off my face.

"I'm not weak!" I insisted.

"You are," Erza said, "I hate to be rude, Princess, but you're not nearly as strong as you think you are. I doubt you've seen much of the world outside of that castle, so you don't know how dangerous it can be."

I paused. She had a good point. I was new to this world, so I knew nothing about it. Heck, I couldn't even fully remember what it was that a wyvern was.

"Not to mention that you don't possess any magic," Erza added. My shoulders slumped. She had me there.

"I know," I mumbled.

"Master!" Lucy called. I hadn't even realized he was there until Lucy yelled for him; I imagine that his small stature accounted for that conundrum.

"Master, Anna said that she was bored here and that she wanted to see the outside world for the first time," Lucy said, grabbing my arm and pulling me forward, "Would we be able to bring her outside?"

The Master stared at her and then at me and then back at her, "Unfortunately for both of you, I agree with Erza. It's much too dangerous for her to go on this job."

Lucy withered visibly and she loosened her grip on my arm. "Which is why you'll be taking Laxus with you as well," the Master added. Lucy jumped up and down. I glanced over to Laxus, but he was just calmly slumped against the bar table, unmoving. Clearly he didn't care about any of this.

"Really? She can come?" Lucy squealed. She hugged me. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to come. If this was going to be as dangerous as they all seemed to think, a normal girl like me wouldn't belong there.

"Master!" Erza said, appalled.

The Master raised his hand to silence her, "_And _why you shall go disguised. We can't have you being identified. I'm sure the royal guard is looking for you...and for us."

"We'll go now, then!" Natsu cheered, grabbing me and lifting me off my feet. He slung me over his shoulder and pinned me there.

"What the- Natsu, what are you doing?" I demanded as he carried me towards the door.

"Well, I have to do this. Otherwise, you might chicken out," he said. I felt my face set on fire.

"I would not!" I shouted, pounding on his back.

"Yeah, that doesn't hurt at all," he said, hugging me tighter.

I gave up and slumped against his back, "Jerk."

* * *

"It's not that I _don't _want you here…well, I don't…but what I mean is that you'll be in danger. Not to mention the royal guard who are searching for you. The cape will somewhat protect you, but it's not 100% safe," Erza said. She'd been fretting since we left the guild.

I tapped her arm, "But you're here…and so is Laxus. I'll be safe. I may not be strong, but I'm not stupid. I won't go charging into enemy lines of go near this wyvern."

She stared at me skeptically. "Ok, so it really depends on the situation. But I won't do it if the situation doesn't call for it," I said.

"The Princess-" Laxus began.

"Anna!" I interrupted.

"_Anna_," Laxus repeated, correcting himself, "Will be fine."

I nodded, "Yep."

"I understand your concern, Erza. We went through a lot to get her here, but that doesn't mean we have to keep her cooped up back at base," Lucy said with a smile. She latched onto my arm and gave me a little huggish squeeze.

Natsu's arm found its way around my shoulders again, "I'm here, too. Don't forget that."

"Right. Your hand-fire…I almost forgot," I mumbled, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

"Oi! I'm one of the strongest!" Natsu protested. I looked up at him and nodded, then looked to Lucy on my other side. I raised an eyebrow.

She nodded in response, "It's actually true." I frowned. Dammit.

"Not stronger than me," Gray said quietly, his hands in his pockets.

"Ah, Gray! Nice of you to join the conversation! I almost forgot you were there!" I said with a grin.

He just stared at me. After a moment, Erza spoke up, "Anyway, when we arrive, at least one of us should be near Anna at all times."

"Isn't that why I'm here?" Laxus asked, his deep voice resonating.

I suddenly spoke up…unintentionally, I might add. "I think Laxus should be up front…to help fight the wyvern. Someone else should be in the back," I blurted. That was secretly my way of saying that I wanted Natsu to be the one guarding me. I wasn't about to tell anyone that, though.

"She's got a point," Lucy said, nudging my arm.

"I'm the most powerful in Rosae Crucis. The fight'll be over if I join in," Laxus said matter-of-factly.

"Just because you're one of the top in R-Class doesn't mean that you're the best. I bet, if all of Fairy Tail attacked you…you'd lose," Happy said. He floated down and landed on my head, pointing at Laxus accusatorily. I'm pretty sure that was one of the worst and most baseless arguments I'd ever heard, but, to be fair, it _had _come from a cat. Just saying.

"Fairy Tail? R-Class?" I asked everyone at once.

Erza was the one to speak up, "R-Class is the Rosae Crucis, the most powerful out of all of Fairy Tail's wizards. Fairy Tail is the name of our organization."

I nodded, "Fairy Tail." If I'm being honest, I found that name ridiculous…still, I didn't say that. I'd feel pretty bad if I just insulted these people to their faces.

"Depends," Laxus said as we walked.

"On what?" I asked curiously, running to catch up with him. Happy slid off my head and landed in my arms. I grinned.

"On whether or not he's on a train," Lucy said with a smirk.

"Shut up, Cheerleader," Laxus growled.

"Don't call me that!" Lucy hissed back.

"Girls, girls…you're both pretty. Can we move on?" I asked. Lucy laughed. Laxus looked horrified.

"We're here," Erza said. I froze and looked at her.

"By here do you mean _here_?" I asked. I tensed and looked around, "Oh god, there's not a wyvern in this train station, is there?"

Natsu loomed over me, "Yes, and it's so big that it'll eat you in one bite. And then it'll digest you slowly, and you'll be turned into-"

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled, punching him in the stomach. I gulped.

"Turned into what?" I asked Lucy.

"He's just kidding. There aren't any wyverns in the train station, Anna."

"Did you actually believe him?" Gray asked.

"Hey, I've never seen a wyvern before!" I argued as if it justified my stupidity.

"By 'here' I meant _the station_, Anna. Calm down," Erza said and the briskly walked away.

"Where's she going?" I asked Natsu. He opened his mouth, but I held up my hand. "Wait, I'm mad at you. Don't answer that." I turned to Lucy. "Where's she going?"

"To get tickets," Lucy said with a smile.

"Riiiight. Tickets. Those'd be good to have…to get onto a train," I said, nodding in a sagely manner.

"Did you really believe me?" Natsu gloated with a grin, leaning closer to me. I ignored him.

"Don't tell me you've never been on a train before," Lucy said, staring at me.

I blinked, "Wh—of course I have!"

"I guess you're pretty easy to trick; I've never been able to trick anyone other than you," Natsu said, stepping even closer.

"So…you haven't?" Gray asked.

"I have," I insisted, (if you count the subway).

"Do you get tricked a lot?" Natsu asked; he was now so close that I could feel his body heat on my arm. I'm pretty sure the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

"So…you _have_," Gray said with a hesitant nod.

"I have," I said. When Natsu wrapped his arms around me, yet again, I froze and looked up at him. I narrowed my eyes.

"Why are you hugging me?" I asked.

"He does that. Just ignore it," Lucy said as if she were talking about a small dog that had a pesky habit. I grinned.

"It means that he likes you," Lucy whispered in my ear jokingly. That definitely sounded like she was talking about a small dog.

I laughed, "Likes me?"

"I heard that," Natsu said directly into my ear. His breath made me shiver.

"Jeez, do you have superhuman hearing or something?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

"Pretty much," Gray replied.

"He's a Dragonslayer," Lucy informed.

I sighed, "I thought you said dragons don't exist."

"They don't," Natsu said. His voice sounded a bit sad.

"They disappeared," Lucy told me, "Pretty recently. Why…don't you know that?"

"Right…so you slew dragons?" I asked, looking up at Natsu, (I decided it was better to not answer Lucy's question, and instead ask one of my own). My eyes were barely above his arms, so it was a bit difficult to see.

A look of horror crossed his face, "No!"

"Then why are you called a Dragonslayer?" I pressed.

"Igneel taught me my magic," Natsu said, his voice suddenly quiet. I took that as my queue to shut up. Natsu, as far as I could tell from my short time with him, was almost always loud. When he started to speak quietly, you'd gone too far. I'd gone too far. So I shut up.

I nodded and grabbed Natsu's wrist, "You don't need to explain anything to me." I smiled, trying to ease the pressure off of him. He blinked and stared at me. I could recognize pain when I saw it. My life had been full of pain. Still, being away from it, I was able to see that I actually loved it a bit. Maybe deep down and in an unconventional way, but I still loved it. Somewhere in my heart I longed to go back, but I forced that thought away. I'd told myself that I would take all of this seriously if I woke up and was still in this crazy world, so I was going to.

"Igneel was my father," Natsu said, his voice just as quiet, "But he's gone now."

My breath caught in my throat and I looked up at him, "My father is gone, too."

"The King? He's gone?" Lucy asked.

"Not the King," I said, shrugging Natsu off. I hugged myself due to the sudden cold that surrounded me. I fought the temptation to return to Natsu's warmth.

"What?" Gray asked, "Not the King?"

"I meant my _real _dad," I said. The one I had memories of. The one I truly loved. That's when I decided. I knew I had to choose. But…which life did I want? This seemingly dangerous world filled with magic, monsters, monarchies, and…rebels or my normal life, filled with only pizza dough, Mom, and Skylar. It was surprisingly hard to choose, but I came to a decision soon enough. I didn't know this world. It wasn't my world. Even if I really was Princess Anna and woke up with false memories, they were the memories I had. The memories I loved. The memories of happier times, with my mother and my father…I wasn't about to let them go. Fiore wasn't my world. However amazing it was, it wasn't mine.

However much I liked the people here, it wasn't mine.

However much I liked Natsu, it wasn't mine.

It had fallen silent—most likely because the others were confused—when Happy reached up and took my finger, "You're sad, aren't you?"

"Happy, don't-" Natsu began.

"I will tell her," Happy interrupted. He looked back to me, "We wanted to bring you because you looked sad. We thought a job would cheer you up, because it always cheers us up."

I forced a smile, "I didn't realize I looked sad."

"You did," Natsu said. He was being surprisingly considerate.

"Well, thanks. I hope you're right…that this job will cheer me up," I said, actually smiling a bit this time.

"It will!" Lucy proclaimed and hugged me. I hugged her back, surprisingly open to her friendliness.

I smiled, "I'm just a little homesick is all. I'm sure you're right."

"I've got the tickets!" Erza said, running back to join us, "And the train is leaving _now!_" She pointed behind her and I saw that by 'now' she meant now. The wheels squeaked as it pulled away.

"Come on!" Natsu yelled. Her grabbed my arm and yanked me alongside him.

"What? We missed it!" I shouted.

"I wish!" Natsu said.

"No, we didn't!" Lucy said with an ecstatic smile.

"It's still right here," Gray said as he rain next to me.

"Run faster, guys!" Happy yelled. I swear, these people must have been cross-country runners, because they were _fast_. I found myself falling behind almost immediately. This was most likely due to my short legs.

"You're falling behind!" Natsu yelled over his shoulder.

"I realized that much, thank you!" I shouted, annoyed.

"Come on, Anna," Happy said with a laugh. He swooped down above my head and grabbed me. Soon enough I felt my feet leaving the ground. I struggled immediately.

"What the hell are you doing!?" I screamed. Ok, so I'm not proud of my language there, but it was justified. I'm not all that fond of heights. Whenever I'm high up, my legs get so shaky that I can't stand. I'm pretty sure I've fainted a couple times also.

"Stop struggling or I'll drop you!" Happy said.

"WHAT!?" I shrieked. I clung to his little paws.

"Just kidding! I won't drop you," he said as we passed the others.

"Wait up, Anna!" Natsu shouted. I was too busy being traumatized to relish the sweet taste of victory…not that we were racing.

"When we land, if I'm still conscious, I am going to strangle you!" I yelled.

"Let go!" Happy said. I did so unconsciously and then regretted it a moment later. Happy let go of me and I flew through the air a good ten feet before slamming into the wooden floorboards of the train. I didn't move, just lay there in pain with my eyes shut.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," I mumbled.

"Are you ok, Anna?" Natsu asked. Apparently he'd leapt onto the train like spies do in movies.

"Just mostly dead," I replied without opening my eyes.

"Why didn't she put her legs out?" Happy asked.

"Did you tell her to?" Lucy asked skeptically.

"Yes."

"No!" I opened my eyes only to see Natsu's face right in front of mine. He smiled at me and I smiled back, momentarily mesmerized by his proximity and then snapped back to reality. "No, you didn't!"

"I did, but you might not have heard me because you were screaming," Happy said, nodding with his arms crossed over his chest.

"It's not my fault I'm afraid of heights," I mumbled.

That's when Natsu's head dropped into my lap, "I'm sorry, I can't hold it any more." He moaned and curled up next to me clutching his stomach. I didn't move, not knowing what to do. I stared at him as he started to sweat.

"He gets motion sickness," Lucy explained.

I sighed and put a hand on his head, "Oh. That makes sense."

"We're going to go find our seats. You can just leave him here. Come on," Gray said, offering me his hand. I looked up at him and then back at Natsu.

"Um, I'll catch up with you guys. I just want to make sure he's ok," I said, waving them away.

"Suit yourself," Erza said. They left the small room we'd jumped into and slid the door shut behind them. I sighed.

"You're a mess," I said to Natsu. His only reply was a grunt. I shook my head and tucked some of my hair behind my ear.

"Whenever I was sick, my dad always used to sing to me," I said, unsure of why I was telling him this. I guess I trusted Natsu. "I loved him a lot, and I just liked it when he was near me. When I was sick, he used to hold me and remind me that it was all going to be over soon enough…that I would always get better."

The only indication that Natsu was listening was a weak nod. I found myself gently touching his hair. "He used to pet me…just like this."

The corner of Natsu's mouth lifted. "That's why I was so sad when he died. I miss him, but not as much any more. I know it's impossible for me to forget him, though. He always used to say, 'Anna Banana, we're partners for life!'" I smiled and then realized that I was crying only when a tear dropped onto Natsu's face.

Natsu's eyes fluttered open and he stared at me. I wiped my eyes quickly and tried to hide my face behind my hair. He wouldn't let me hide though. He reached out with a shaky arm and touched my face.

"I miss Igneel too," he whispered.

I nodded, "Yeah."

Natsu lowered his arms and I kept stroking his hair. He kept staring at me and the only sound was the clunking of the train tracks below us. Suddenly, Natsu's eyes went wide. He jerked upright and slammed the door open. He leaned out and threw up. I looked away and cringed.

"Sorry," Natsu said. I looked back to see him collapse on the wood floor. I smiled and shook my head.

"It's not your fault…however nasty it is," I said. He let out a tiny chuckle and looked at me. I smiled and patted my lap. He raised a brow.

"Come on. I'll be your pillow, but just for this ride…and only as long as you don't barf on me," I said, patting my lap again. He hauled himself upright and then fell back onto my lap.

"Thanks," he croaked.

I smiled, "Don't thank me yet; it's not for free."

"Huh?"

"You'll see."

* * *

**Sorry it took me **_**so **_**long to update. I liked this chapter, though and hope that you did, too! Leave me a review if you'd like, but I'll stick with this story either way. I'm just being honest here. And so I'll be honest and tell you that I want you to review. **


	5. Endangered Anna

_~Chapter 5~_

Endangered Anna

_"Anna…An." The voice interrupted the dream I'd been having, (which had been a good one…filled with puppies and rainbows). _

_ It was the same voice I'd heard before…in my other dream. "Who are you?" I asked, not wasting time. _

_ "You don't belong there," said the voice, urgency in his tone. It was clearly a man…I could tell that now. _

_ Somehow, his words stung. "Don't belong?"_

_ "You need to get out," said the voice, "Fast. We don't have a lot of time. I found something that-"_

_ "But…the rebels, they're so kind. They're friendly rebels," I argued. Surely that meant I belonged with them, no matter how contradictory it sounded. _

_ "_Rebels _being the key word," he said, "They're dangerous and you know it. You're smart...better than this."_

_ "You don't know me. You don't know them, either! They're good to me. Natsu is-" I shut up. _

_ The voice was quiet for a moment and then spoke again, "Natsu?"_

"They're so cute together." Lucy's voice interrupted my dream conversation. That was fine by me. I didn't like what the intruder had to say. I wanted to go back to my puppies and my rainbows. Yeah, that sounded nice. The voice started to get quieter as I imagined adorable puppies running around in a field of flowers.

_"Anna, don't go! You idiot! Why won't you listen to me?!" he said. _

_ "Don't call me an idiot. I thought you said I was smart…" I mumbled as the puppies closed in. _

_ "Who's Natsu?" the guy asked. He sounded annoyed. I finally managed to block him out completely but was left wondering why he cared who Natsu was. _

"Aw…he's hugging her. I never thought I would see something so adorable," Lucy said.

"Shouldn't we wake them up?" Gray mumbled.

I shifted. Their voices were interrupting my puppies. I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on how warm I felt. Yeah, it felt really nice. Safe.

"Well, she somehow managed to make him fall asleep. I guess that's good," Erza said. "We'll be arriving soon, though."

"Then Laxus will finally stop being so slimy," Happy chimed in.

"It's sweat, Cat!" Lucy growled.

"Mmm," I said, "Stop talking." I stretched out and hugged my pillow.

"Holy crap, she's waking up!" Lucy said.

"Look what you did, Lushi," Happy said.

"It's not my fault," Lucy hissed.

"I have to admit…that is very touching," Erza said.

"And creepy," Gray added. I lifted my head and eased my eyes open, giving up on puppies as the rainbows fizzled out of existence.

"You can't let a girl sleep?" I asked them. They were all standing around me, looking down at me. I blinked, confused. Why were they looking down at me? I'd clearly fallen asleep, but why was I on the ground…and why wasn't the cold wood seeping out my body heat? The clunking of the train tracks continued to pound as I looked down.

I was hugging Natsu tightly, his vest falling open and exposing his chiseled chest. Oh…so that was what my pillow was. All of my questions were just answered. My mouth dropped open and I gasped. I rocketed away from him and slammed into the wall behind me, "Ow!"

I clutched my cranium tightly. "Pain," I whimpered, "I don't think I'll be able to survive much longer on this train." _…or much longer with Natsu… _I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I decided to blame it on the universe.

Lucy giggled and crouched beside me, patting my head, "I guess it's a good thing we'll be arriving soon, then."

I nodded, trying to hide the blush that had crept its way onto my cheeks. Waking up on Natsu's chest wasn't the least bit expected.

"Well, let's wake him up, then," Gray said, leaning down next to Natsu. He was about to shake him awake when I stopped him.

"Wait, stop. We can wait a little while," I said. I sort of pitied Natsu. After I'd told him about my dad, he'd gotten sick over and over again. I doubted there was anything left inside of him, (including his organs). He deserved what little rest he got. I remember watching him sleep on my lap and continuing to pet him gently. I was glad that he could sleep and not worry about anything. He'd looked so innocent in his sleep…as if he hadn't threatened to burn me alive several times. I somehow didn't take him seriously, though. He didn't seem like he was the type of person to burn anyone alive. The voice from my dream suddenly rang in my ears: _Rebel being the key word. _They were rebels. Somehow, the urgency in that person's voice, no matter how much I wanted to fight it, reminded me that I was, in fact, surrounded by enemies of my kingdom…of Princess Annabeth's kingdom. But, then again, I felt like I belonged with them more than I did behind the cold stone walls of the castle. I tucked that thought away.

I tried to remember what had happened after Natsu fell asleep, but I couldn't. I didn't remember falling asleep…falling asleep _on _him. How embarrassing.

Gray withdrew his hands, raising them in surrender, "Yes, your Highness."

I frowned, "Anna." I could still hold onto that part of myself. I had to keep the divide clear. I wasn't Princess Annabeth…I'd decided that. The only thing I really knew was that, somehow, I'd been shoved into her body. My memories were still my memories. My life was still my life.

"Anna," Gray said, leaning against the wall and shoving his hands into his pockets. It seemed to me that Gray was always sullen. I wondered if I'd get to see him smile before I got away from this place. Oh…my subconscious had made a decision for me. I had to get out of Fiore…to get back to California. I didn't want to think too much about that though, but the decision remained present in my mind even as my awareness of it faded.

I hauled myself to my feet, "So…where are we?"

"Roccia," Laxus answered, securing his headphones on his head. I made a mental note to ask him about those later…if they played music, I would surely steal them at a later date. I eyed them curiously. "Sort of," he added. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Nephelenite is our destination, to be specific," Erza said, "We're not quite in Roccia yet. The station we're headed to is at the very border of Fiore."

"Roccia," I repeated, "That's Italian for 'rock.'" Man, I had to get used to the weird names in this world. It occurred to me that Fiore was also Italian for 'flower.' Weird. My suddenly knowing Italian was also weird. I didn't remember learning it… Maybe I saw it on a TV show or something.

I looked up at Erza and she was staring at me, "Italian?" _Oh, great. They don't have Italian in Fiore. Whatever._

"Uh…never mind," I said, walking over to the wall of the train car. I took hold of the handle and wrenched the door open. It slid open quickly and slammed against the wall. A powerful gust of wind almost knocked me off of my feet, but I held onto the door tightly. My black hair whipped around my face as I stuck my head out of the train car. I decided that we were in some sort of storage car, because there were no passengers anywhere to be seen. I figured opening the door couldn't hurt anyone.

I took in a deep lungful of fresh air, a welcome relief after spending a couple hours in the musty train car. The wind chilled my skin, but I didn't mind. I took in the sights. A beautiful river, sparkling in the sunlight, wound its way along the floor of the valley the tracks cut across. Birds flew high in the sky, smoothly gliding along the updrafts and occasionally beating their wings or diving down towards the ground. The sun brilliantly lit up the treetops, not a cloud in the sky.

Suddenly, cold metal touched my skin. I flinched and almost lost my grip on the door. Something pulled me back inside the train car. I frowned and looked over my shoulder. Erza stared down at me, "That's dangerous." The metal that had grabbed me, I discovered, had been her steely gauntlet.

I dropped down to the ground, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm not a doll," I argued.

"You look like one, though," Laxus said, casting me a sideways glance. I didn't justify that comment with words, only stabbing him with my glare.

Erza slid the door shut again and my hair calmed, floating back down to my shoulders. "I was told to protect you, so that's what I'm going to do," Erza said.

Lucy sat beside me, crossing her legs and leaning against my shoulder while fussing with her wind-rustled hair, "Calm down, Erza. It's not like she's going to die from leaning out a window."

Erza took a deep breath and nodded. She looked at me and pursed her lips. "You're right, Lucy. I'm sorry, Anna. It's just that you're very important. That's why I was so opposed to this whole thing in the first place. It's a dangerous job…especially for you."

I narrowed my eyes, "Especially for me? What does that mean?"

"We're heading to Roccia…weren't you listening?" Gray said.

"Right…Roccia," I said, fiddling with the hem of my shirt. It was really awkward to not know what anyone was talking about while they expected you were an expert.

"We've got to be ninjas," Happy said, suddenly hiding behind Laxus's leg and peeking out stealthily.

I blinked, "Riiight. Ninjas." Well, at least they had ninjas in Fiore. What would I do without ninjas? What a relief.

"If members of the royal guard are in the forest, you'd better hide, Anna," Gray said, "We don't need to be seen."

"But you're going to defeat a wyvern, aren't you? How can you not be seen doing that?" I asked. _…and why don't we want to be seen? _The confusion was piling up.

Gray just shrugged, "It's a big forest."

"Considering how tense political matters are between Fiore and Roccia right now due to the interruption of your wedding, I'm pretty sure there will be guards everywhere," Lucy said, "Including forests."

"So, on top of a giant, people-eating, green wyvern, I've got to worry about soldiers as well?" I asked Lucy.

She nodded and smiled, "Magic soldiers, most likely."

I withered, slumping my shoulders. My hair fell over my eyes, "This sucks. Why did I let you bring me here again?"

"I've been asking myself that same question," Erza said with a soft smile. I looked up at her and smirked. Ever since I was little I used to dream about adventure and danger, but I guess facing the reality of it was a bit more daunting than I'd imagined. I'd assumed my little, uneventful life in California would last forever…foolishly, I suppose. Fiore was a dangerous place, from what I'd seen. I had to acknowledge the fact that I, being the crazy girl that I am, had chosen to be abducted by equally crazy rebels. I guess that had added a little more danger into the mix.

Natsu mumbled, breaking my train of thought. The train whistled loudly and he flopped over onto his stomach. I smiled a little. "Natsu, do you know what that whistle means?" Lucy asked, moving to stand next to him. She poked him with the toe of her shoe.

"I'm dead?" he asked. I giggled a little and crawled over to where Natsu was mostly unconscious.

"It means we're at the station," I whispered to him. His eyes cracked open and he smiled a bit.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Probably as bad as I look," he mumbled, closing his eyes again. Judging by the fact that his skin was pale and he lay limply on the ground like a wet cloth…or a dead person…I figured that meant he felt pretty horrible.

"Well, in that case we'd better get off of this train," I said, putting a hand on his head. It felt a little damp, but that didn't surprise me. He'd been worse before we fell asleep. I blushed again at that thought. _Such a fool, Anna. _

The train whistled again, signifying that we'd finally arrived at the station. I heard the brakes squeal and felt the train slide to a stop. That also meant that we were in Roccia, the kingdom Fiore was politically pitted against because of the rebels and I. I felt a bit guilty about that.

I helped Natsu up, patting his back briefly as he rubbed his eyes. "I like your method of making me fall asleep more than Erza's," he said, using the wall to pull himself to his feet. Happy laughed and balanced on Natsu's spikey pink hair.

"What does that mean?" I asked, turning to Erza suspiciously.

Erza walked over to the door again, grabbing the handle, "I simple put him out of his misery."

I grimaced and looked at Natsu, mouthing the words '_I'm sorry_.' He shrugged, grinning again. It was like, once the train had stopped moving, he was suddenly back to normal again. It made me wonder if the moment we'd had was real or not. Maybe it was another one of the pranks my imagination had been pulling on me as of late.

* * *

The forest was dark. Only occasionally did tiny patches of sunlight break through the dense tree line. The dense underbrush threatened to prick my skin with every step, and I carefully avoided the more dangerous-looking shrubs. "Is there poison ivy in here?" I asked nervously, keeping my eyes trained on my feet, remaining watchful for any ivy-looking, evil vines.

"I'm not sure, but there is Black Kiss, so be careful," Lucy said.

"Black Kiss? What's that? How do you know it's here?" I asked Lucy, following behind her.

Lucy ducked under a low hanging branch, "Black Kiss is a vine that grows black flowers. Don't touch the flowers, Anna. I know there's Black Kiss in this forest because there's some right there." Lucy pointed to a nearby tree. I froze in my tracks, my mouth dropping. The freaking vine was oozing. Oozing. What looked like black drool was slowly dripping from the flowers, which almost looked like Venus flytraps. Sharp spikes protruded grimly from what appeared to be a mouth…a plant mouth…with plant fangs.

"What happens if I touch them?" I asked.

"You'll die," Natsu said, grabbing my shoulders. I jumped and squeaked. I immediately turned to give him a good punch on the shoulder. I looked to Lucy, "Seriously, though. What happens?"

Lucy opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. "You'll die," Laxus said as he walked past me, his hands casually in his pockets and his tone calm. It was like he was simply saying 'good morning' to me. I stared after him as he walked past.

"And don't let them bite you," Gray said, nodding to me as he walked past us.

I frowned, crossing my arms. Natsu draped his arm over my shoulders, "If you don't believe me, you can try it out, but you'll be poisoned instantly."

I shrugged him off, mumbling to myself and following after the others. "Did you just call me a jerk?" he asked, catching up to me.

I didn't look at him as I carefully walked around the Black Kiss vine. "Maybe," I said, jogging to catch up to Lucy. "Hey, so where is this wyvern? Is it just going to pop out of the bushes or what?"

Lucy chuckled, "I think it's a little too big to hide in those bushes."

I nodded, "Right, because the monster couldn't be small and fluffy. Why can't we hunt down a bunny?"

"A bunny's not going to hurt anyone," Erza said, "We only step in when normal people, non-wizards, can't manage the problem themselves."

I frowned as I walked, "It could be stealing carrots or something…a giant bunny."

Erza smiled and shook her head. Laxus walked up beside us, "I think we should be thinking about what our plan is going to be."

"I thought we decided that Laxus, Erza, and Gray were going to be in the front to fight the wyvern and Gray, Natsu, and Happy were going to guard me," I said, clasping my hands together hopefully.

"I don't have a problem with that. Last time we fought a wyvern I couldn't feel my butt for days," Lucy grumbled.

"That was a different kind of wyvern," Gray pointed out.

"Yeah, but it was still a wyvern. No need to relive that," Lucy said. She subconsciously moved her hand to her butt. I choked down a laugh.

"Aw, but I wanna be in on the action!" Natsu said, raising his fist in the air.

"Right…your fire-fists. Couldn't forget about those," I drawled.

"Natsu will burn down the whole forest," Happy said, lounging on Natsu's shoulder, "He can guard Anna."

Natsu frowned, "I won't."

"I think a little destruction is inevitable with Fairy Tail," Lucy said honestly. Right then, Laxus stopped walking. I slammed into his back and pinched my nose.

"What is it?" Lucy asked, worried. I had a growing feeling that I was about to see something that I would never be able to un-see. Laxus was sparking and a sword appeared in Erza's hand. Natsu's fists caught fire and Gray's palm began to glow a gentle blue. Lucy's hand went to her hip. I just sort of backed towards a tree, the beginnings of terror bubbling in my stomach.

"Sh," Laxus said, listening. He turned his head towards one of the bushes. I didn't hear anything at all. Erza took a deep breath, "This way."

"Stay here," Erza said to me and then turned to Natsu and Lucy, "Watch her. Keep her safe or I will personally murder you."

They nodded and Erza, Laxus, and Gray disappeared into the bushes ahead of us. I took a deep breath to try and calm myself down, but the tremors didn't stop. "Maybe we shouldn't have brought you," Lucy said, spotting my shaking hands.

Natsu's fires flickered out and he walked towards me. He took my hands in his, "I want to let you know that I take this personally."

"What?" I questioned. His hands were warm and I could feel a bit of strength traveling from his fingertips to mine.

"You're still scared while I'm guarding you; that means you don't think I can protect you," he said. Happy nodded from his perch on Natsu's shoulder.

I let out a little choke-laugh, "That's not why I'm-"

"Well that's the only reason that makes sense," he said, "Because I'll protect you." There was no hint of fondness in his voice; he spoke as if I were his duty. That disappointed me, but at the same time his devotion moved me.

I stared up at him for a while, watching him closely. His hands tightened on mine and I looked down. His hands were calloused and rough, but they were gentle. It calmed me down. I filled my lungs up and then let the air go, feeling my fear leave along with my breath.

"See? Now you're alright," he said. I looked back up to his face and he was smiling slightly. I nodded, withdrawing my hands to tuck my long hair behind my ear and out of my eyes. I hugged myself tightly.

"Thanks," I said, nodding.

I looked over to Lucy and she was smiling at me as if I knew something. I narrowed my eyes, "What?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but her words were drowned out by a deafening howl. The screech pierced my entire body, sending shockwaves down my spine and a new fear coursing through my veins. I gasped for air and fell against the tree. Sweat broke out on my forehead and my hands started trembling again. My legs crumbled beneath me and I collided with the ground. Was this…what a panic attack felt like? Oh, hell no. I was not going to have a panic attack in the middle of a magic forest with a wyvern on the loose. Oh no, was that was the sound was? Was that a wyvern? Whatever it was, it had to be huge to make such a sound.

"Anna!" Lucy said, rushing to my side. I looked up at her, grabbing her arm.

"I-" I began, gasping, "I, c-can't…breath."

"Shit…Natsu, what do we do?" Lucy asked, whirling around. But Natsu was gone. "Natsu!?" Lucy stood up and looked down at me. She pulled something shiny from her waist, "Breathe, Anna."

I reached for her, trying to tell her not to dare leave me alone in that god-forsaken forest, leaning up against that stupid tree, struggling to force air in and out of my lungs. But I couldn't tell her. She turned and walked a few feet away, calling for Natsu. I honestly thought she was going to leave me. Ah, so this was the true nature of rebels. _Rebels being the key word_.

I forced my muscles to move, pulling my bones across the forest floor. I crawled beneath the bushes, anxious to hide myself from any stray wyvern I might come across. I knew I wasn't up to this. There wasn't an ounce of magic in me, and I just needed to get away. I needed to save myself, because it was clear no one else could. I grasped my emerald necklace tightly, drawing my strength from it as I crawled away. Air began to flow more easily as I dragged myself farther and farther away. I vaguely heard people shouting my name, but I ignored them. They were rebels, and I had to go. The adrenaline in my system blurred my sense of judgment. I should have stayed with them, stayed with the people that were going to protect me. But I doubted them. The only person I trusted was myself…and the voice from my dream. They were rebels. I knew that, but I'd still chosen them over Silas…over the castle.

Suddenly, my vision blurred. I collapsed to the ground, my muscles going numb. _What's happening? _

_"Anna! I'm sorry I have to do this to you, but I need you to hear me!" The voice, familiar now, spoke in my head._

Pain erupted between my ears. "Get out," I said, "Get out!"

_"Anna, I'm in Roccia," he said. _I whimpered._ "I'm in Roccia, and we need to meet. An, we need to do something. This isn't safe…it isn't our home! Don't push me out!"_

"GET OUT!" I screamed. The pain stopped, but I kept my eyes shut. After a few moments, I opened them again. My muscles ached, but other than that I felt normal again. I mean, other than the side effects of the crippling fear and confusion the voice had just left me with. I was beginning to think I was going insane. I touched my necklace and sat up, peeking above the underbrush. I pulled myself to my feet and looked around. I couldn't see the others, but I could hear them. Their voices were coming from behind me.

I froze in place at the next sound I heard. I noticed that no sunlight shone in the spot where I was standing. Dread filled my chest. A warm breeze stirred my hair and I shut my eyes. I took a deep breath, hoping against hope that I was wrong. Slowly, I turned around. My mouth dropped open and tears welled up. I was right.

The wyvern loomed over me. It's dark green scales shone in the forest light. Its giant nostrils blasted me with gusts of hot, putrid air. Its black eyes stared at me, emotionless. I smelled blood and noticed that one of its wings was injured gravely. That must have been the reason for the screech earlier. Any potential pity I might have felt vanished when I saw its fangs. Razor-sharp, and probably as long as my arm, the saliva on them made them shine. I squeaked, staring at it. A flash of pink appeared in my peripheral vision.

Natsu had burst through the brush a good 100 feet from where I stood. He was sprinting towards me, his eyes fiery and cuts littering his body. He ran even with a limp. I stared at him and he shouted my name. "Anna!"

I knew, in that moment, that he wasn't going to get to me on time. A host of emotions welled up inside of me. Anger. Fear. Horror. Desperation. Dread. I locked eyes with Natsu moments before the wyvern lunged. His eyes mirrored my own emotions, except there was something almost like surprise there. At least I think there was. It's sort of fuzzy.

The wyvern's growl pushed me over the edge. When I saw Natsu, there was a spark in me. I didn't want to die. Even if this wasn't my body, if this wasn't my life, I didn't want to lose it. I didn't have enough time to analyze that thought. My emotions exploded within me. My vision lit up as an eerie green light surrounded me. I felt weightless as all my fear rushed out of me. I was suddenly calm. I stared at the wyvern and held out my hand. My lips moved without my controlling them. I saw my reflection in its huge black eyes.

I scared myself. My hair was whirling around me, floating about my head like gravity was no longer relevant. My clothes billowed around my skin. I stood strong, staring the wyvern down. A column of brilliant green light shot into the air above me like a beacon. The most terrifying things, though, were my eyes. They glowed a bright green; my pupils had completely vanished. The wyvern tumbled away from me as I spoke words that I didn't understand. I sensed the change: I was no longer the prey…I had become the predator. "_Chaur noam ngngut rk ponlu. Nea yk ngnut, bamphlanh ponlu._"

A shockwave burst forth from my fingertips. My lips stopped moving and the fear returned. The wyvern collapsed to the forest floor, unmoving. I stared at it in horror and red blood seeped from its chest. I cover my mouth with a hand and took a step back as the green light faded. I held my necklace with the other. It was warm to the touch. Something caught my eye. In the distance, a column of red light lit up the horizon. It disappeared almost as quickly as I'd noticed it.

I took more and more steps away from the wyvern, wanting to look away but not being able to. I'd…killed it. It was dead. And I killed it.

I tripped over a rock and fell, still scrambling away from the dead wyvern. Tears fell quickly as I pressed my back against a tree behind me. "Oh my god," I whimpered. I couldn't process what had just happened to me. I felt a buzz in my chest and a lingering tingling on my skin.

"Anna," someone said cautiously. I looked over to see that everyone was staring at me. Even Laxus had a shocked expression, something I'd never seen on his face before. "I killed him," I said, staring at it. I didn't take my eyes off of it.

"Anna, look at me." Natsu's hands touched my wrists, but I didn't look away from it.

"It's dead," I repeated as if saying it would make it even a little less true. Natsu's body moved into my line of sight and I looked into his eyes.

"Thank you," he said, smiling.

"Wh-what?" I asked, not understand his words in the slightest.

"If you hadn't done that…whatever that was…you'd be dead. I couldn't live with myself if I let that happen," he said, wrapping his arm around my back and weaving the other beneath my legs, "So thank you."

I let him lift me from the ground, cradling me tightly. I gripped his shirt in my hand, "You're welcome."

That was the last thing I remember before I passed out.

* * *

**Explanations to come! You're probably super confused right now, but it'll all make sense soon enough, (the voice in her dreams, magic springing out of no where). I'm not going to make things even more confusing for you by trying to explain it, so just wait for things to reveal themselves over the course of the story. :) Sorry I didn't edit, (again). Don't forget to leave me your reviews. **


	6. Betrayed Anna

**Again, this is unedited and pretty rough…but after months I've finally updated, so that's good. I lost access to my account for a while there, but I've got it back now and am back to updating. So I hope you guys enjoy it and sorry that it's been so long.  
**

* * *

~Chapter 6~

Betrayed Anna

I felt heavy and exhausted…but mostly heavy. My eyes slid open. It was strange how I could feel my long eyelashes lightly brush against my cheek as my eyes fluttered open.

It was dark outside, the only light in the room coming from a gently flickering candle. I instantly knew where I was. I was back at Fairy Tail, the same room that everyone had lent me before. I still wasn't fully awake, but I could tell something had changed.

Fairy Tail felt different now, less homey. Where I could normally hear sounds of life from beyond the door, there was only quiet. It seemed solemn, depressing…more like a rebel lair, and I hated it.

And then I realized why I felt so heavy. Unconscious on my chest was the most important reason why the rebel betrayal hurt me so badly. I wanted him to be the person I thought he was, the person who'd rescued me from that stupid castle and who made my heart beat and my face flush, who made me so wonderfully uneasy. But he wasn't that person. That had become clear to me when he'd vanished right as I needed him the most, moments after promising me that he would be there for me, would protect me.

That's what stung the most: the fact that he'd gone back on his word so quickly. And yet I could still remember how easily he had calmed me down, the hold over my heart that he had. It quite honestly alarmed me. I'd never really felt that connected to a single person since dad.

My heart beat so loudly I thought it'd wake Natsu up as I slowly lifted my hand. I waited a moment, watching his chest expand and collapse almost silently and his eyelashes flutter in his sleep. I touched a lock of his hair, tracing where it fell along the side of his face and then following his jawline with the tip of my fingers. He twitched and I froze.

I noticed that Happy was asleep on top of Natsu, rising and falling with each of Natsu's breaths. I didn't bother to question why the two of them were sleeping in the same bed as me. I freaked out for a moment when I first realized it, but that feeling was gone now…it was slowly being replaced with anger.

No matter how I felt about Natsu, I couldn't deny the truth: he'd left me. When I really needed him, he'd abandoned me. I wanted to forgive him for that, to wake him up and ask for some sort of explanation. There must have been one, right? But I didn't dare. I didn't want to face those fiery eyes of his, the ones that always lit a little candle of hope somewhere in my heart that whatever it was I was going through would all be all right in the end.

So I inched away from him slowly, easing his head down onto the bed and sliding out from underneath the sheets. The floor was cold on my bare feet and I shivered. An alarmingly large part of me told me to slip back into bed with Natsu, to stay close to the comforting warmth, but an even larger part told me to go.

I had to face the cold, because at least in the cold I didn't risk being betrayed again. I didn't want to feel that ever again. I didn't want to have to endure the aching in my chest any longer, so I distanced myself from Natsu. I tiptoed to the other side of the room where the door leading outside was. I clasped the knob, but didn't twist it.

I paused and turned around, taking one last long look at Natsu. He sighed in his sleep, shifting to stretch out his long legs and exposing his stomach. I shook my head and angrily walked back to where he was, pulling the blankets silently back over him to keep him from catching a cold. He mumbled something in his sleep and the aching returned. I stared down at him. It hadn't occurred to me that what I was doing was definitely creepy, so I didn't leave. Instead, on impulse, I leaned down, my hair brushing Natsu's face, and kissed his forehead.

And with that goodbye I turned around, opened the door, and stepped outside. There was no one around in the night, and I walked the streets of Magnolia in silence, listening to the nothingness and breathing in the chilly night air. Away from the candlelight and Natsu's warmth, my fears crept up my spine and lurked at the back of my head.

What had happened to me? I couldn't remember anything other than how terrifying I had looked and felt and the gruesome sight of the dead wyvern. I had killed it…that much was obvious. But how? Was that what magic felt like? But I was certain I wasn't magic. I had never done magic before, and it didn't seem like something someone like me would be capable of. And yet…

I'd been so angry and afraid. Maybe the sheer force of my emotions had caused that green light in the sky. The pillar of energy that had erupted from my body must have meant something. Maybe if I'd stayed at Fairy Tail I would have been able to find the answer to all my questions…I erased that thought.

But more questions kept popping into my consciousness. Why had Natsu left? Who was behind that voice that had spoken to me so many times? What was that red light that I was sure I had seen after everything that had happened? It had looked so much like mine…

My fear only intensified.

I turned to corner to see an ally way, exactly the sort of shady place that I wouldn't want to walk through in the middle of the night. But my brain was so caught up in other things that I simply shuffled on in silence. Immersed in my thoughts, I didn't even notice when someone appeared at the end of the alley. I froze, panicking for a moment. Wasn't it bad when someone dark and mysterious blocked your path in a place like this? My heart suddenly raced a mile a minute and I turned to run.

Before I could take off, though, a strong, warm hand clasped my wrist and pulled me backwards. I stumbled a lost my balance, squeaking as I fell. Before I hit the ground, though, arms encircled my waists and held me upright.

I was enveloped in a familiar smell, and the feel of his arms felt so natural. "How did you find me?" I asked.

"I followed your smell," he said smugly.

I tried to turn around in his arms, but they tightened. I looked up at him, "That's creepy."

"What?" he asked, confused.

"You followed my scent?"

"You smell a little like cinnamon. Did you know that?" he asked, grinning.

"I don't care," I growled, squirming in his arms. But he was a million times stronger than I was. I was conflicted. I was glad that he'd come after me while simultaneously feeling like I absolutely had to get away from him.

"Let me go, Natsu," I said quietly.

"No," he responded immediately.

"Natsu, seriously," I said, getting angrier.

"I don't want to."

I covered my face with my hands. I couldn't deal with this. Not now. Not when I had so many unanswered questions, many of which were about him. I felt the familiar sting of tears at the back of my eyes and blinked a few times to keep them from falling.

"I don't understand," I murmured.

"Understand what?" he asked. His voice was surprisingly serious. If anything, he sounded worried. Or maybe that was just my imagination…

"I thought…you told me you'd protect me, Natsu. You said you'd keep me safe, and then you—" My words were instantly cut off along with my breath. Natsu's arms tightened even more around my waist and I could barely breath. He hid his face in my shoulder and I froze up awkwardly. Oh no, did he notice?

"You were panicking, Anna. You should have seen yourself. You were white as snow and shaking like a leaf. It was my fault for bringing you on the job. It was all my fault, and I didn't want you to see the wyvern. I thought that if I could kill it before you saw it, it'd spare you of that experience. But instead you ran off into the forest and…and you had to go through so much worse." His voice was steady. It sounded almost rehearsed, though, like he'd been practicing what he was going to say to me. "I'm so sorry, Anna…for making you go through that."

I couldn't help it. The tears openly fell now. They slid down my face and landed on Natsu's arms. His arms looked so tanned compared to my pale ones, so strong and muscular. My heart beat sped up with his words.

"I thought you…abandoned me there. I thought I was…alone again," I sobbed.

"No, Anna. I won't leave you alone. I won't abandon you," he said quietly, twisting me around in his arms. My hair fell down over my eye, but I was grateful for it. My eyes were probably already red from crying. Natsu put a hand on my head and smiled widely. "Come back to Fairy Tail?" he asked.

As soon as he asked me, I realized that the only reason I'd left…the only real reason…was Natsu. I thought Natsu had rejected me, left me there, and that stung. It wasn't because I thought the rebels were dangerous. I'd had plenty of opportunities to leave earlier if that was the case. It wasn't because of that strange voice or the terrifying magical experience I'd had. It was because of Natsu.

I whimpered at his kind eyes and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly and shaking a little. He hesitated for a moment and then hugged me back. "Man, you were really worried about it, huh?" he asked.

"Of course I was, you jerk," I replied. He laughed, and I could feel his chest shake against mine. I squeezed him tighter and then pulled away. I slid my hand along his arm and took his hand, "Um, so I don't know where I am. Show me the way back to Fairy Tail?"

He smiled and squeezed my hand tightly. He bowed, "Leave it to me, Princess Anna."

I frowned, "I really don't like it when you call me tha—"

Natsu froze up and clapped a hand over my mouth, "Smell that?"

"Uh, _no_," I deadpanned, but my words were muffled by his hand.

"It smells like—"

In that instance, black shapes jetted across my vision. They were so fast they appeared like blurs. In the moment that they paused or stood still, I could barely make out that they were people, dressed completely in black. Natsu fire suddenly illuminated the entire alley. I backed away from him instinctively, thinking that I was going to get burned. "Anna, wait," he said, reaching for me with his unlit hand. But he was too late. I'd been stupid.

The moment I stepped away from him, a black arm wrapped around my neck and pulled me forcefully against my attacker's chest. I cried out and grabbed the person's arm, but I was so weak compared to seemingly everyone in Fiore. I couldn't break free.

"Anna!" Natsu shouted, and then his eyes lit up with anger, "Give. Her. Back." His intense expression even scared me a little, and I wasn't the one that it was meant for.

"Princess Annabeth of Fiore, we have been sent by His Majesty of Roccia to rescue you from the rebel force known as Fairy Tail. Do not be afraid," said the man's deep, gravelly voice. I growled.

"What?" I practically shouted, "Who in their right mind rescues someone like this? And why are you dressed like ninjas?!"

"Let go of Anna!" Natsu shouted, "Don't touch her!" He launched towards us, flaming fists and all, but as he got closer to me my ninja's arm got tighter and I began to have trouble breathing. Natsu must have noticed it and hesitated, because he paused long enough for the two other ninja people to close in on him.

"Wait, don't hurt him!" I shouted, but they'd already launched their attacks. They were so fast that, before Natsu could dodge, they landed a series of quick jabs on what I guess were pressure points, because Natsu immediately collapses to the ground.

"What did you do?" I practically screamed, struggling even harder to break free from my ninja's arms. This time, I dug my nails deep into his skin and he flinched away. I bolted to where Natsu lay and touched my hands to either side of his face. He looked strangely content, like he was just having a little cat nap in the middle of the creepy ally. I frowned and pulled his head onto my lap, touching his soft hair.

"Calm yourself, Princess. He is only sleeping." My ninja slowly stepped forward and kneeled beside me. I glared at him and I swear I heard a little puff like he was laughing at me.

"Forgive me, Princess, for the use of force, but I am under strict orders," he said. I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant, but that's the last thing I remember. I don't even remember blackness, just waking up.

* * *

It was probably the most unpleasant awakening I'd ever experienced, which is ironic because it was in the most comfortable bed I'd ever slept in. As soon as I woke, I remembered Natsu and how he'd collapsed to the ground. I bolted upright, breathing hard and clutching my necklace.

There was no one in the room. I rubbed my eyes, my vision still a bit blurry, and looked around. The room I was in was definitely very fancy. I was sitting on a princess bed, red velvet curtains dripping from the frame. I held my necklace tightly for comfort as I stood. The rest of the room was similarly furnished. Fabulously carved and adorned bookshelves stood against the opposite wall next to a large, white marble fireplace. A large painting of a man hung on the wall above the hearth. He was handsome, wearing shining red armor. It was clear that he was wealthy because jewels were scattered around his person, large rubies embedded in even his jewelry.

I sighed and walked over to the vanity table, sitting down and resting my arms on it. I still wasn't used to seeing this beautiful version of myself, but I could tell that there was a difference from usual. I looked worried, tired. Understandably, I suppose. Despite not having even made an attempt at looking decent, I still managed to look gorgeous.

I looked down at my hands and something caught my attention. Sitting on the table was a book. I picked it up, drawing my brows together in confusion. It didn't have a title, but it was clearly expertly made, it bindings lined with gold designs that spilled over the cover, twisting and entangling around the book.

I opened it to a random page and read a few lines.

_Kazomere Roccia's strength was known by his subjects, so despite his occasionally unsatisfactory rule there was never any possibility of an uprisings or coup d'état. _

I frowned a pulled my hair out of my eyes. That name sounded familiar for some reason. It occurred to me after a moment that Roccia was the name of the other kingdom in this world. Roccia was where the prince I was supposed to marry was from, where the wyvern had been killed, where those ninjas said they were going to take me.

I must have been in Roccia now, and that's why there was a history book sitting on the table. I turned a few of the pages. They were clearly aged, slightly yellow around the edges, and seemed pretty delicate. I paused on one page, staring at the illustration there. The scene was familiar.

"The dragon," I breathed, running my fingers along its emerald scales as if I could really feel their roughness against my fingertips. I hadn't really looked that closely at it when I saw it portrayed on the tapestry in the palace, but it was elegant. This specific image of it made it look powerful and dangerous, but also somehow beautiful. The man who I'd seen on the tapestry was also here, wearing the same flowing red cloth.

Beneath the picture were a few sentences I couldn't quite understand.

_The mother dragon Vitruvius promptly refused King Roccia's demand to wed her daughter as a means to protect his country. Vitruvius believed that the wedlock method of summoning the guardian was the most unreliable, but the King was desperate and felt bereft of time._

I was reminded of what I'd seen when that banner came to life in front of me before I met Natsu. It still seemed impossible that the banner had actually moved, but I'd seen enough to realize that it probably wasn't just my imagination. This new information, about the dragon and the man, seemed to fit with what I'd seen. The man's anger and desperation and the dragon's denial made a bit more sense. Still, I didn't know what this Guardian was. It was just more information that I didn't get.

I gently shut the book, feeling the beginnings of a headache just in time for a knock on the door. I had to stay calm, despite not really knowing how I'd gotten to what was probably the Roccia royal palace, what exactly was happening to me, or, most prominently in my mind, where Natsu was.

I hesitated, then choked out a, "Come in?"

The door opened and a man stepped inside. He had short, dark hair and a scar across his lip. His had deep brown eyes partially hidden by long eyelashes. He looked to be in his early twenties and was wearing some sort of armor with a scarlet crest on it in the shape of a sword. "Your Majesty," he said, bowing to me. I stood up, feeling awkward and not sure if I was supposed to curtsy of something. I was seriously out of my league with the whole princess thing. It made me miss the Rebels even more.

The man straightened and spoke again, "The Crowned Prince of Roccia wishes to meet with you as soon as possible." I grimaced and then quickly forced my face to remain neutral. I was pretty sure I was still engaged to this person, and I didn't think I was in danger. The fact that I wasn't sitting in a rat-infested prison and was instead still being treated like a delicate flower meant that no one here was going to hurt me. At least, I think it did.

A thought occurred to me. "Do you know what happened to Natsu?" I asked him, approaching him. He looked down at me, clearly a little surprised that I'd asked that.

"You want to know where the rebel is?" he asked.

I nodded, quickly remembering that I wasn't supposed to actually be friends with rebels. Technically, I had been kidnapped…though to me it was just running away. Still, I needed my answer and decided to lie in order to find out the truth. No matter what, I needed to know Natsu was alive. "I just feel that if I knew where he was, that he was locked away, I would feel safer. It would truly give me a piece of mind."

Understanding flashed in the man's eyes and he nodded, "The rebel by the name of Natsu Dragneel has been bound with magic-restricting cuffs and is currently secured in Roccia's royal dungeons. I assure you that there is no threat to your safety."

I nodded, hugging myself. Crap. Despite whatever authority I possessed her, I doubted I'd be able to get him out. I wasn't sure if I even had power, for that matter, or if I was simply a pawn. "Thank you," I said.

"The Prince awaits you in his royal chambers, Your Majesty," he said.

I closed my eyes for a moment. It seemed there wasn't really much of a choice in this situation. I gently touched my necklace again and stepped forward, "I'll see him now."

* * *

**Thanks for reading and leave me a review if you deem me worthy. :P**


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